2ALTH  r 
RATIONAL  DIET 

BY 
\RNOLD    LORAND.M.D. 


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Old  Age  Deferred 

THE  CAUSES  OF  OLD  AGE  AND  ITS 

POSTPONEMENT  BY  HYGIENIC 

AND  THERAPEUTIC 

MEASURES 


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HEALTH  AND  LONGEVITY  THROUGH 
RATIONAL  DIET"  and    "BUILDING 
HUMAN  INTELLIGENCE" 


Health  and  longevity 

THROUGH 

RATIONAL  DIET 


PRACTICAL   HINTS    IN    REGARD    TO    FOOD    AND    THE 

USEFULNESS  OR  HARMFUL   EFFECTS  OF  THE 

VARIOUS  ARTICLES  OF  DIET. 


BY 

Dr.  Arnold  Lorand 


Tell  me  what  thy  food  is,  and  I 
will  tell  thee  what  thou  art." 

Brillat-Savarin 


PHILADELPHIA 
F.  A.  DAVIS  company,  Publishers 

1921 


COPYRIGHT,  1912 

BY 

F.  A.  DAVIS  COMPANY 

Copyright,  Great  Britain.     All  Rights  Reserred 


BIOIOBY  LFBRART 


PRESS  or 

F.    A.    DAVIS    COMPANY 
PHILADELPHIA.  U.S.A. 


Bio 


PREFACE. 


Probably  but  very  few  physicians  have  so  frequently  an 
opportunity  to  observe  the  harmful  consequences  of  a  faulty 
mode  of  nourishment  as  one  who  is  practising  as  a  Carlsbad 
bath  physician.  It  is  a  surprising  fact  that  even  scholars  well 
versed  in  a  great  variety  of  subjects  often  display  the  veriest 
ignorance  or  show  the  greatest  carelessness  precisely  in  respect 
to  what  and  the  manner  in  which  they  eat. 

Others,  again,  fall  into  the  opposite  error, — those,  for 
example,  who  studiously  avoid  all  foods  containing  even  a 
trace  of  uric-acid-forming  constituents,  lest  an  excess  of  such 
substances  prove  injurious,  and  meanwhile  overlook  the  fact 
that  in  addition  to  such  uric-acid-producing  components  these 
foods  contain  many  other  important  substances,  e.g.,  certain 
nutritive  salts,  an  insufficient  intake  of  which  may  result  in 
serious  injury,  particularly  in  the  period  of  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  body. 

Because  overeating  may  prove  harmful,  many  persons  re- 
strict their  diet  to  such  an  extent  as  to  do  their  bodies  more 
harm  than  they  would  by  eating  to  excess.  Every  housewife 
knows  that  her  dog  or  cat  will  thrive  splendidly  when  plenti- 
fully fed  upon  proper  food,  but  in  the  case  of  her  children  she 
often  overlooks  this  point.  Every  farmer,  too,  is  aware  of  the 
fact  that  horses  require  altogether  different  kinds  of  food, 
according  as  they  are  to  be  used  as  draught,  riding,  or  carriage 
horses,  and  that  a  dog,  to  be  used  in  the  hunt,  as  a  watch-dog, 
or  to  draw  carts  needs  a  different  diet  in  each  case.  It  is  only  in 
man  that  we  observe  the  contrary  condition,  viz.,  that  persons 
following  most  diverse  occupations,  be  they  laborers  or  brain- 
workers,  scholars,  merchants,  officials,  officers,  clergymen, 
physicians,  traveling  salesmen,  factory  hands,  or  field  workers, 
— all  of  them  with  their  dependents,  take  the  same  or  at  least 
very  similar  foods. 

oa) 


It  Preface. 

The  diet  should  vary  according  to  the  nature  of  the  occu- 
pation and  the  functions  to  be  carried  out,  just  as  has  always 
been  the  custom  in  the  case  of  domestic  animals.  Since  cer- 
tain nutritive  salts  play  an  important  role  in  the  activity  of 
various  organs,  as,  e.g.,  those  containing  phosphorus  in  brain 
activity,  as  full  a  consideration  as  possible  has  been  given  in 
the  present  volume  to  the  question  of  the  nutritive  salt  content 
of  all  varieties  of  food.  In  presenting  the  quantitative  rela- 
tions of  these  salts  as  well  as  the  percentages  of  the  various 
classes  of  foodstuffs  contained  in  the  articles  of  diet  considered, 
I  have  made  use  of  the  figures  given  by  Konig,  Rubner,  Bunge, 
E.  Wolff,  Robert  Hutchison,  Gautier,  and  Balland. 

Since  through  unintelligent  and,  one  might  almost  say, 
brutal  methods  of  cooking  many  important  nutritive  substances 
and  salts  are  withdrawn  from  our  foods,  I  have  found  it  neces- 
sary to  include  a  discussion  of  rational  methods  of  cooking  as 
well  as  of  several  other  questions  which  lie  somewhat  outside 
of  the  sphere  of  the  practising  physician. 

Many  of  the  subjects  here  discussed  have  previously  been 
but  little  or  hardly  at  all  touched  upon  in  scientific  works,  as, 
e.g.,  the  manner  in  which  various  functions  such  as  the  intel- 
ligence, the  sexual  function,  etc.,  can  be  activated  through  the 
diet. 

The  author  is  not  so  presumptuous  as  to  affirm  that  he 
has  already  definitely  solved  the  question  as  to  how  it  is  pos- 
sible to  convert  a  stupid  school  child  into  a  bright  one,  or  to 
restore  a  person  sexually  weakened  through  congenital  de- 
ficiency or  as  a  result  of  various  vices  to  normal  sexual  vigor, 
with  the  aid  of  an  appropriately  selected  diet  and  certain  kinds 
of  food.  If,  however,  he  has  succeeded  in  making  some  slight 
contribution  to  the  subject  or  even  only  in  stimulating  further 
research  along  these  lines,  as  well  as  in  eradicating  certain 
faulty  and  life-shortening  practices  in  regard  to  eating,  the 
purpose  of  this  work  will  have  been  fulfilled. 

Dr.  Arnold  Lorand. 


INTRODUCTION. 

BY 

Victor  C.  Vaughan. 


When  Dr.  Lorand  asked  me  to  write  a  foreword  to  the 
American  edition  of  his  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  treat- 
ise on  "Rational  Diet"  I  gladly  consented.  The  author  has 
had  large  practical  experience  in  the  dietetic  treatment  of  many 
disorders  at  the  greatest  and  oldest  of  the  world's  health  re- 
sorts, Carlsbad.  This  resort,  annually  visited  by  thousands 
who  come  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  is  free  from  medical 
quackery,  and  the  simple  life  enjoyed  there  is  not  the  least  help- 
ful of  its  beneficial  agencies.  Moreover,  Dr.  Lorand  has  been 
an  extensive  and  observant  traveler,  especially  interested  in  the 
foods  used  and  the  methods  of  preparation  employed  by  differ- 
ent peoples.  I  am  fairly  conversant  with  the  German  edition  of 
this  popular  work  on  dietetics,  and  I  have  read  the  proof  of 
the  English  translation.  While  I  might  take  issue  with  the 
author  on  certain  unimportant  points,  it  is  my  conviction  that 
the  work  has  been  admirably  done,  and  is  certainly  free  from 
the  fads  which  render  so  many  of  the  books  written  on  this 
subject,  for  the  laity,  harmful.  The  highest  scientific  authori- 
ties have  been  consulted,  and  their  researches  made  compre- 
hensible to  the  non-professional.  The  body  is  a  machine,  the 
most  complicated  and  neatly  adjusted  one  in  existence.  Foods 
supply  not  only  the  fuel  used  in  running  this  machine,  but  also 
the  material  with  which  the  wear  and  tear  must  be  replacd. 
Every  engineer  knows  that  he  cannot  get  the  greatest  efficiency 
out  of  his  machine  unless  he  supplies  the  fire-box  with  the  best, 
high-grade  fuel.  With  dirty,  low-grade  coal  the  result  is  not 
up  to  the  standard,  and  when  it  contains  a  large  amount  of  sul- 

(v) 


Introduction. 


phur  and  other  impurities  the  Hfe  of  the  machine  is  impaired. 
Pure  air  to  breathe,  wholesome  water  to  drink,  and  proper  food 
to  eat  should  be  secured  by  the  State  for  all  its  citizens,  the 
poorest  as  well  as  the  richest.  The  man  who  traffics  in  impure, 
diseased,  and  adulterated  food  is  a  malefactor,  and  should  be 
treated  as  such.  We  may  have  good  laws  upon  these  subjects, 
but  they  will  not  be  adequately  enforced  until  the  public  be- 
comes properly  educated  along  these  lines.  The  purpose  of 
this  book  is  to  contribute  to  this  much-needed  education.  A 
government  which  permits  the  sale  of  injurious  foods,  or  allows 
the  price  of  proper  foods  to  be  manipulated  by  any  man  or 
combination  of  men  for  financial  gain,  is  not  serving  its  citi- 
zens in  a  just,  wise,  or  humane  manner. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introduction,  with  Remarks  upon  the  Importance  of 
THE  Appetite  and  the  Object  of  the  Processes  of 
Nourishment 1 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man. 

1.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  the  Outward  Appearance  of  Man, 

His  Stature  and  His  Development  10 

2.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  the  Nervous  System  and  upon  the 

Attributes  of  the  Mind  and  Temperament 15 

3.  The   Influence   of  Foodstufifs  upon   the  Teeth,   Pharynx,   and 

Vocal  Apparatus  24 

4.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  the  Digestive  Organs 28 

5.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Other  Important  Organs 48 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Fundamental  Laws  of  Rational  Feeding. 

1.  The  Importance  of  the  Various  Foodstuffs,  and  the  Quantities 

which  Should  be  Used  57 

2.  The  Nutritive  Salts  and  their  Great  Importance  64 

3.  Water    n 

4.  Hints  Concerning  Diet  in  Various  Climates  and  During  Differ- 

ent Seasons  of  the  Year,  and  for  Different  Ages  and  Sexes  ..     80 

5.  Several  Observations  Concerning  Cooking,  Especially  that  of 

Fish  and  Vegetables  84 

6.  Hints  upon  the  Mode  of  Eating,  and  the  Rational  Division  of 

Meals 88 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Injurious  Modes  of  Feeding. 

1.  The  Injurious  Effect  of  a  One-sided  Diet 94 

2.  The  Consequences  of  Harmful  and  Insufficient  Diet  97 

3.  Tuberculosis  as  a  Consequence  of  Deficient  Nutrition,  and  its 

Prevention  by  Adequate  Nourishment  101 

4.  The  Untoward  Consequences  of  Overnutrition 106 

(vii) 


viii  Contents. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances. 

(a)  Meat  Diet.  ''^'^^ 

1.  Concerning  Meat  and  Various  Kinds  of  Fish  109 

2.  Concerning   Slaughter   Wastes,   Sausages,   and   the   Value    of 

Blood-pudding  125 

3.  Advantages   and   Disadvantages  of   Meat   Extracts   and   Meat 

Soups  129 

4.  The  Advantages  of  Meat  in  Small  Quantities,  and  Disadvan- 

tages in  Large  Amounts 135 

5.  Concerning  the   Necessity   of  a   Humane    Method   of   Killing 

Animals    140 

(fc)  Fish  Diet. 

1.  Nutritive  Value  and  other  Properties  of  Various  Kinds  of  Fish 

Foods    144 

2.  The  Advantages  of  a  Fish  Diet 152 

(c)  Oysters   and   Shellfish;   their   Advantages   and   Disad- 
vantages     156 

{d)  The  Advantageous  Properties  of  Eggs  160 

Fish-roe  and  Caviar 167 

{e)  Milk  Diet, 
i.  Milk  and  its  Importance 169 

2.  Various  Kinds  of  Milk:    That  of  the  Sheep,  Ass,   Goat,  and 

Mare    175 

3.  Sour-milk  Products:  Sour  milk;  Kefir;  Kumyss;  Jogurt,  etc.  ..  179 

4.  Various  Milk  Products:   Cream;  Buttermilk 182 

5.  Cheese 185 

6.  Butter  and  Oleomargarine 189 

7.  Hints  Concerning  the  Advantage  of  a  Milk  Diet  and  its  Prac- 

tical Use 193 

8.  Additional   Note   Concerning  the   Benefit   Occasionally   to  be 

Derived  from  a  Glass  of  Hot  Milk 198 

(/)  Fats  of  Animal  Origin 200 

(,g)  Leguminous  Vegetables  and  their  Importance  202 

Addendum.    Special  Advantages  of  the  Soy  Bean 208 

(Ji)  Cereals. 

1.  The  Various  Cereals 212 

2.  Concerning  Foods  made  with  Flour,  and  Noodles.    The  Useful 

Properties  of  Macaroni  and  of  Certain  Kinds  of  Pancakes  . .  219 

3.  Concerning  Bread,  and  the  Advantages  of  Brown  Bread  over 

White  Bread 222 

4.  The  Advantages  of  Rice  as  Food 226 

5.  Corn :   Its  Advantages  as  a  Food 230 

(t)  Starch-containing  Tubers. 
White  and  Sweet  Potatoes,  Manioc,  Sago,  Tapioca,  and 
their  Advantages   234 


Contents. 


PAGE 

(;■)  Mushrooms   241 

(k)  Green  Vegetables. 

1.  Leaf  and  Root  Vegetables  246 

2.  The  Advantages  of  Sauerkraut  259 

3.  Tubers,  Husk  Vegetables,  and  "Vegetable  Fruits"  261 

4.  Concerning  Winter  Vegetables,  Canned  and  Preserved  Vege- 

tables, and  Salads   267 

(/)  The  Fruit  Diet. 

1.  Fruit   as   a   Food,   and   the    Nutritive   Value    of   the    Various 

Varieties  270 

2.  Concerning     Apples,    Apple-juice,     Apple-tea,     Cider.     Other 

Fruits  having  Seeds  and  Pits  274 

3.  Berries    280 

4.  The  Benefit  to  be  Derived  from  the  Daily  Use  of  Cherries 282 

5.  Grapes  and  their  Advantages.     Hot-house  Grapes    (Franken- 

thal,   Colman,  Alicante)    284 

6.  Concerning  the  Advantages  of  the  Grape  Cure  287 

7.  The  Advantages  of  Fruit  Juices,  Marmalades,  and  Jellies  289 

8.  Chestnuts  and  Fat-containing  Fruits,  v^^ith  Remarks  Concern- 

ing Vegetable   Fats    291 

9.  Tropical  Fruits  and  their  Advantages  296 

10.  The  Special  Advantages  of  Bananas  299 

11.  Oranges,  Lemons,  and  Grapefruit 302 

12.  Concerning  Certain  Varieties  of  Fruits  Little  Used  Except  in 

their   Native   Countries    (Pineapple,   Kaki,   Chinese   Lichees, 
Mangoes,  and  Guavas)  304 

13.  Practical   Hints    Concerning   Fruit   and  the   Advantages   of   a 

Fruit  Diet 306 

(m)  Beverages. 

1.  Coffee    309 

2.  Tea  313 

3.  Mate  and  its  Advantages  316 

4.  Cocoa,  Chocolate,  and  their  Advantages 318 

5.  Alcoholic  Beverages  323 

(m)  Sugar,  Saccharin,  Ice-cream,  Honey,  and  Maple  Syrup.  328 
(o)  Injurious  and  Uninjurious  Spices  and  Condiments 332 


CHAPTER  V. 

Vegetarianism  and  its  Advantages  and  Disadvantages. 
Hints  for  the  Prevention  of  the  Latter. 

1.  The  Dangers  of  a  Strictly  Vegetarian  Diet  336 

2.  Hints  in  Regard  to  the  Rational  Procedure  in  a  Strictly  Vege- 

tarian Diet   340 

3.  The  Special  Advantages  of  the  Milk-Egg- Vegetable  Diet  ....  346 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding. 

Useful  Hints. 

PAGE 

1.  Foods  Easy  and  Difficult  to  Digest 350 

2.  Foods  Causing  Flatulence.    The  Prevention  and  Dietetic  Treat- 

ment of  Flatulence 353 

3.  Laxative  Foods  356 

4.  Remarks  Concerning  the  Prevention  and  Dietetic  Treatment 

of  Gout.    List  of  Foods  Forming  Uric  Acid 358 

5.  Practical  Hints  for  the  Prevention  and  Treatment  of  Obesity. 

Dietetic  Measures   360 

6.  Concerning  Fattening  Foods.    Fattening  Treatment  363 

CHAPTER  VIL 
Hints  for  Those  Obliged  to  Take  their  Meals  in  Res- 
taurants.    The  Injurious  Effects  of  the  "Table 
d'Hote"  Diet 365 

CHAPTER  VHL 

The  Increased  Activity  of  Certain  Functions 
Brought  About  by  Food. 

1.  Concerning    the    Increase    of    Intellectual    Activity    Brought 

About  by  a  Suitable  Diet  372 

2.  Hints  Concerning  the  Diet  of  Brain  Workers  379 

•  3.  The  Increase  of  Sexual  Activity  by  a  Specially  Adapted  Diet  .  384 
"  4.  The  Dietetic  Treatment  of  Impotence  as  v^rell  as  of  Sexual 

Apathy  and  Sterility 388 

-  5.  Addendum.    Diet  to  be  Used  in  Sexual  Abstention 391 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Increased  Muscular  Power  Resulting  from  a  Suit- 
able Diet 392 

Addendum.     Hints  Concerning  the  Diet  during  the  Fatiguing 
Journeys  in  Mountain  Climbing,  Rowing,  etc 395 

CHAPTER  X. 

Conclusion. 

The  Relationship  of  Food  to  Old  Age  and  Longevity 397 

Glossary 403 

List  of  Diseases 407 

Index 409 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet 


INTRODUCTION,    WITH    REMARKS    UPON    THE    IMPOR- 
TANCE  OF  THE  APPETITE  AND  THE   OBJECT   OF 
THE  PROCESSES  OF  NOURISHMENT. 

Two  instincts,  that  of  hunger  and  the  sexual  impulse, 
hold  man  enthralled  in  an  iron  grip,  and  afford,  consciously 
or  unconsciously,  the  motive  power  for  many  bad,  as  well  as 
for  many  useful,  acts.  Both  man  and  beast  owe  their  existence 
and  their  perpetuation  to  these  impulses. 

These  two  instincts  worry  and  torment  all  living  beings, 
and  in  order  that  their  calls  may  be  more  readily  obeyed  they 
hold  out  the  lure  of  enjoyment.  A  dog  may  be  ever  so 
hungry,  yet  often  refuse  a  food  which  may  be  most  nourishing, 
if  it  does  not  appeal  to  his  taste,  and  rats  often  die  of  hunger 
in  captivity,  rather  than  eat  food  which  they  do  not  like.  Man, 
with  his  intelligence,  is  an  exception,  and  will  often  eat  dis- 
tasteful food  when  starving;  no  matter  how  nourishing  such 
food  may  be,  however,  he  will  only  take  that  which  is  barely  suffi- 
cient to  still  the  pangs  of  hunger.  In  order  that  man  or  animals 
shall  take  a  sufficient  quantity  of  useful  food  to  satisfy  bodily 
requirements,  omniscient  Nature  has  at  the  same  time  pro- 
vided him  with  the  sense  of  taste,  which  acts  as  a  bait 
for  enjoyment.  Thus,  albumin,  a  most  important  foodstuff, 
would,  in  the  form  of  white  of  egg,  be  refused  by  many  dogs, 
even  though  suffering  with  hunger ;  when,  however,  the  albu- 
min has  combined  with  it  a  savory  flavor,  as  in  the  form  of 
the  extractives  in  meat,  the  dog  will  eagerly  devour  it.     The 

(1) 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


second  important  constituent  of  the  food,  the  carbohydrates, 
would  not  be  very  tempting  in  the  original  tasteless  form  of 
starch,  but  when  it  is  combined  with  a  series  of  tasteful  sub- 
stances, as,  e.g.,  in  the  potato,  it  forms  a  favorite  and  universal 
food  staple.  Fat,  likewise,  does  not  taste  nearly  as  good  in 
the  form  of  pure  oil  as  it  does  in  butter  in  which  aroma  and 
savor  pave  the  way  to  its  enjoyment. 

The  child,  with  its  undeveloped  intelligence,  prefers  those 
foods  which  appeal  most  strongly  to  the  sense  of  taste,  e.g.,  the 
sugar  in  candy.  That  milk  which  is  most  rich  in  sugar,  like 
mother's  milk,  is  most  desired  by  the  nursling.  In  milk  are 
contained  all  three  of  the  chief  components  of  food,  and  the 
sugar  contained  in  it  makes  it  pleasant  to  take.  A  milk  entirely 
free  from  sugar  would  scarcely  be  accepted  by  the  child. 

Besides  the  albumin,  fat,  and  carbohydrates,  the  nutritive 
salts  also  play  an  important  role  as  essential  nutritive  sub- 
stances, and  the  delightful  fragrance  and  taste  of  the  fruits 
which  contain  them  in  large  quantities  make  such  fruits  very 
tempting. 

In  this  way  necessary  substances,  which  exert  a  great  in- 
fluence upon  the  composition  and  constitution  of  the  blood 
and  our  most  important  tissues,  are  taken  into  the  body. 

Taste-exciting  substances  are,  to  be  sure,  rather  perish- 
able, and  are  only  present  in  their  entirety  while  the  plants 
remain  in  relation  to  the  earth  through  the  agency  of  their 
roots.  When  grass  is  mown  and  allowed  to  dry  upon  the 
meadow,  its  perishable  taste-arousing  components,  which  ex- 
cite the  cow  to  constant  eating,  are  lost.  This  is  particularly 
the  case  if  the  grass  has  not  been  piled  up  in  mounds,  to  prevent 
the  carrying  off  of  these  components  by  the  wind.  The  quality 
of  the  butter  subsequently  obtained  is  also  affected  under  such 
conditions.  I  have  often  noticed  the  fact  that  a  bilberry  or 
raspberry  tastes  best  when  plucked  from  the  bush.  After 
having  been  picked  for  some  time,  much  of  the  aroma  is  lost. 


Introduction. 


The  most  tasty  fruit  and  vegetable  foods  can,  therefore,  only 
be  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  those  living  in  the  country;  we,  in 
the  cities,  get  only  a  fraction  of  this  enjoyment,  for  such  foods 
rarely  come  to  us  quite  fresh.  How  true  the  saying  of  Horace : 
"O  fortunalos  illos  agricolas !" — O  happy  country  people !  The 
tilling  of  the  soil  by  farmers  provides  us  with  plentiful  and 
healthy  foods  when  all  the  appliances  which  modern  science 
has  given  us  are  brought  into  use.  It  is  surely  an  anomaly 
when  the  land  is  so  neglected  as  is  the  case  with  thousands 
of  hectares  in  Austria  and  Hungary,  and  in  Germany, 
which  remain  uncultivated.  With  good  will  and  industry, 
these  fallow  lands  could,  with  the  aid  of  modern  agricultural 
knowledge,  be  made  to  furnish  us  an  ample  supply  of  bread, 
fruit,  and  vegetables.  Much  is  accomplished  in  farming  in  the 
United  States,  where  the  government  sends  entire  schools  to 
outlying  districts  in  cars  especially  constructed  for  the  purpose, 
and  equipped  with  the  necessary  agricultural  apparatus,  in 
order  to  teach  the  fanners  how  to  obtain  a  tenfold  return  from 
their  fields,  cattle,  and  poultry.  How  desirable  it  would  be  for 
us  to  have  such  a  useful  arrangement,  in  order  to  further 
the  rational  nourishment  of  our  people!  The  yearly  emigra- 
tion from  Austria  and  Hungary  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
our  most  useful  population,  the  farmers  or  husbandmen,  to 
America  or  Canada,  where  virgin  lands,  promising  a  rich 
harvest,  are  given  to  them  free  of  cost,  could  thus  be  avoided. 
Of  those  who  remain  at  home,  thousands  forsake  their  former 
healthy  vocation,  and,  instead  of  being  happy  in  the  possibility 
of  breathing  the  delightful,  health-giving  open  air  of  nature 
itself,  they  sacrifice  their  health  in  the  large  cities,  in  the  smoky 
impure  air  of  the  factories,  and  eat  food  which,  at  home,  would 
have  been  despised  by  their  dogs. 

It  is  true  that  those  who  have  abandoned  their  mother 
country  find  in  Canada  a  fresh,  virgin  soil,  which  soon  fur- 
nishes plentiful  nourishment,  while,  with  us,  the  earth,  in  the 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


hundreds  of  years  during  which  it  has  been  cultivated,  has 
already  yielded  almost  all  of  its  nutritive  salts. 

But  the  illustrious  Justus  von  Liebig  taught  us  how  to 
overcome  this  difficulty :  we  must  artificially  provide  the  plants 
with  these  salts;  and  since  we  ingest  these  plants  as  our  food, 
sometimes  through  the  circuitous  route  of  the  meat  of  animals 
who  have  themselves  been  nourished  by  them,  these  nutritive 
salts  will  be  taken  into  our  bodies  and  exert  an  active  influence 
in  their  building  up  and  health.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  nearly  all 
the  substances  contained  in  our  bodies  are  brought  in  from  the 
outside,  and  this  mainly  through  the  food  we  take.  The  com- 
ponents of  the  earth  are  also  absorbed  in  the  form  of  salts, 
which  are  concerned  principally  with  the  formation  of  our 
bony  structure.  Another  element,  besides  the  earth,  plays  an 
important  role  in  the  nutrition  both  of  plants  and  of  ourselves. 
However  much  of  nutritive  salts  be  at  the  disposal  of  plants, 
these  salts  are  of  no  use  until  the  rain  comes  and  takes  them  in 
solution ;  in  the  same  way  we  are  enabled  to  absorb  our  food 
only  by  the  aid  of  water. 

Still  another  body,  the  air,  is  of  great  importance  in  the 
building  up  of  our  food.  Plants  absorb  the  all-important 
carbon  from  the  air,  and  many  of  them — as  the  leguminous 
plants — also  take  up  nitrogen  through  their  roots  with  the  aid 
of  the  nitrogen-gathering  bacteria.  \Mien  we  eat  these  plants, 
or  the  meat  of  animals  which  have  fed  upon  them,  the  nitrogen 
is  taken  up  into  our  systems. 

In  addition  to  the  elements  mentioned,  a  powerful  heavenly 
body  comes  to  our  help  in  the  formation  of  our  nourishment, 
one  without  which  no  man,  animal,  or  plant  could  exist, — 
the  sun. 

By  the  aid  of  the  sun's  rays,  the  carbonic  acid  of  the  air, 
through  the  agency  of  the  chlorophyll,  furnishes  the  starch 
required  for  the  healthy  growth  of  plants.  The  longer  the  sun 
shines  upon  the  plants,  the  more  starch  is  formed  in  them. 


Introduction. 


For  this  reason,  the  plants — trees  and  fruits — growing  in  the 
bright  sunshine  of  the  south  contain  more  starch,  to  which 
milHons  of  savages  owe  their  principal  food.  Thus,  we  see 
that  nothing  is  lost  in  this  world,  and  that  the  sun's  rays 
have  not  shone  in  vain  upon  these  plants,  since  we  can  absorb 
the  energy  stored  up  in  them  through  the  agency  of  the  sun's 
rays,  by  eating  their  starch-containing  fruits,  such  as  bananas, 
figs,  rice,  etc.  Even  those  rays  of  the  sun  which  streamed  down 
millions  of  years  ago  upon  the  plants  of  former  ages,  including 
the  stately  conifers  of  those  times,  are  not  lost  to  us.  They  are 
useful  since  we  now  burn  upon  our  hearths  the  products  of 
those  distant  ages,  transformed  into  coal.  With  their  heat 
the  warmth,  and  with  their  burning  the  light,  of  the  sun  reap- 
pear, even  as  they  do  when  we  hold  a  match  to  the  petroleum 
in  our  lamps — also  a  distillation  product  of  former  ages.  We 
thus,  in  a  sense,  not  only  consume  the  sunlight,  but  also  cook 
our  meals  thereby.  Even  the  lifeless  mineral  world  lends  us 
its  aid  for  our  nourishment.  Thus,  the  phosphates,  found  in 
large  quantities  in  South  Carolina,  Florida,  Algeria,  etc.,  are 
used  by  us  to  fertilize  our  fields,  in  order  to  furnish  the  neces- 
sary phosphorus  to  the  grain ;  and  from  the  grain,  we  absorb 
this  phosphorus  in  our  food.  The  manufacturing  industries 
likewise,  though  otherwise  the  foes  of  land  cultivation,  are 
helpful  to  us,  as  the  phosphorus  used  in  fertilizing  is  also  ob- 
tainable from  the  waste  material  of  iron  factories,  in  the  form 
of  ground  Thomas  phosphates.  Nitrogen,  too,  can  be  elab- 
orated from  the  sulphate  of  ammonium  contained  in  the  residue 
of  the  gas  and  coal  industries,  or  gathered  from  the  air  by 
the  aid  of  electricity. 

All  the  elements  thus  enter  into  our  nourishment,  and, 
since  we  are  built  up  by  what  we  absorb,  we  are  also  composed 
of  these  elements.  After  our  death,  when  our  bodies  are  de- 
composed, these  substances  are  set  free  again.  It  is  literally 
true,  as  the  Holy  Scriptures  state,  that  man  is  made  of  dust 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


and  to  dust  returns.  New  organisms  are  built  up  with  the 
elements  again  rendered  free  by  the  decomposition  of  our 
bodies,  and  it  would  appear  as  though  our  decay  and  natural 
death  were  a  grim  necessity,  in  order  that  from  our  worn-out 
and  decomposed  component  parts  new  combinations  with  fresh 
energy,  new  beings,  in  fact,  should  arise. 

From  the  organic  portions,  the  salts,  and  other  substances 
which  liave  been  liberated  from  our  moldering  bodies  and 
taken  up  by  the  water  in  the  earth  and  springs,  new  plant 
bodies,  e.g.,  grass,  spring  up.  As  the  grass  is  eaten  by  the 
cattle,  flesh  is  again  formed  from  it,  which  can  be  utilized  by 
us,  or  is  once  more  excreted,  in  the  dung,  forming  an  efficient 
fertilizer,  through  the  influence  of  which  the  most  juicy  fruits, 
the  finest  strawberries  and  vegetables,  grow,  again  to  be  ab- 
sorbed by  us.  Thus,  in  life  a  continuous  cycle  is  established  of 
which  the  process  of  nourishment  is  the  activating  influence. 
Old  forms  of  life  disappear — for  plants  have  life,  as  do  man 
and  the  animals — and  new  ones  are  engendered.  The  above 
observations,  however,  also  show  us  that  cremation  of  dead 
bodies  does  not  fit  in  with  this,  our  predestined  use ;  it  removes 
our  bodies  from  their  ethical  duty,  the  elaboration  of  new 
living  beings.  Since  the  thought  of  the  burial  in  a  closed  grave 
is  really  painful  to  many  persons,  it  would  be  of  use  and  would 
further  this  ethical  end  if  the  ashes,  instead  of  being  uselessly 
sealed  up,  were  scattered  broadcast  over  the  fields  in  the  spring- 
time, where  they  would  lie  in  the  light  of  the  sun  until  the  rain 
could  carry  their  helpful  influence  into  the  soil.  What  a  beau- 
tiful destination  this  would  be  for  many  who  during  their  life- 
time were  able  to  accomplish  but  little,  thus  to  serve  mankind 
— possibly  in  this  way  accomplishing  their  most  useful  act! 
The  church,  too,  could  find  no  objection  to  this,  since  the  dust 
would  again  return  to  the  dust  from  which  it  had  arisen. 

Since  so  many  valuable  substances,  among  them  most 
useful  mineral  constituents,  unite  in  providing  for  our  nourish- 


Introduction. 


ment  and  are  embodied  in  us,  it  must  surely  follow  that  they 
are  accomplishing  a  higher  mission  than  the  mere  tickling  of 
our  palates.  He  who  believes  that  we  eat  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  satisfying  our  hunger  and  of  satiating  or  indulging  our- 
selves when  our  food  tastes  good  only  proves  his  own  simplic- 
ity, and  gives  us  reason  to  believe  in  the  truth  of  the  words  of 
Socrates :  "The  bad  live  to  eat  and  drink,  but  the  good  eat 
and  drink  to  live."  No;  we  must  energetically  proclaim  our 
belief,  that  eating  is  a  higher  function, — a  kind  of  religious 
act.  We  eat  in  order  to  build  up  our  tissues,  we  eat  in  order 
to  put  ourselves  into  condition  to  withstand  the  endless  assaults 
of  lower  organisms  which  attack  us  by  day  and  by  night,  and 
we  also  eat  in  order  that  our  organs,  and  in  particular  our 
brain,  will  be  enabled  rightly  to  perform  their  functions !  We 
are  only  able,  however,  to  carry  out  these  functions  when  we 
have  absorbed  certain  salts,  the  nutritive  salts,  with  our  food 
and  drink,  among  them  being  phosphorus  and  lime,  without 
which  life  is  impossible.  In  addition  to  the  nutritive  salts 
many  important  medicinal  substances,  such  as  iron,  iodine,  and 
even  salicylic  acid,  are  ingested  with  certain  fruit  berries. 
Though  the  amounts  absorbed  are  minimal,  homeopathic  doses, 
yet  they  are  of  no  inconsiderable  importance  in  the  chemical 
laboratory  represented  by  our  bodies.  In  this  sense  it  might 
be  said  that  we  are  taking  in  along  with  our  food  medicinal 
or  curative  agents  no  doubt  even  more  efficacious  than  those 
compounded  by  the  druggists.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  he 
who  nourishes  himself  with  wisely  chosen  food  can  maintain 
his  body  in  such  a  state  of  health  that  he  will  not  need  any 
form  of  artificial  medicine.  Not  only  does  health  of  body  and 
mind  depend  upon  the  food,  but  it  is  also  built  up  from  child- 
hood, and  appears  to  be  responsible  for  the  making  of  man 
what  he  is, — the  most  advanced  creation  of  the  animal  world. 
While  man  has  attained  this  station  by  virtue  of  his  intelli- 
gence, we  shall  show  later  on  that  this  intelligence,  too,  depends 


8  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

upon  his  food.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  find  that  wherever  man 
is  restricted  to  a  sparse,  one-sided,  and  incomplete  diet, — and 
that  of  most  animals  is  of  this  nature, — as  are  the  inhabitants 
of  many  of  the  southern  islands,  and  the  Bushmen,  his  intelli- 
gence is  likewise  of  the  lowest  order.  Thus,  the  ancient  Aztecs, 
who  already  cultivated  com  and  cocoa,  and  lived  on  a  plentiful 
and  varied  diet,  although  principally  a  vegetable  one,  had  a 
well-ordered  state,  with  courts  of  justice  very  similar  to  our 
own.  We  can  also  show,  by  means  of  instructive  examples 
of  which  we  shall  give  several  later  on,  how  both  man  and 
beast  are  made  what  they  are  by  their  foods.  I  would  like, 
however,  to  cite  here  one  example  from  the  life  history  of  the 
bees,  quoted  from  Roberts.  As  soon  as  the  bees  need  a  new 
queen,  they  feed  the  larva  of  a  worker  with  the  finest  portions 
of  the  jelly-like  substance  contained  in  the  hives,  called  "royal 
jelly"  by  the  English  bee  cultivators.  While  the  rest  of  the 
larvge,  which  are  to  form  the  workers,  only  get  this  dainty 
substance  on  the  first  day,  the  one  selected  to  be  the  queen  is 
constantly  fed  with  it  until  fully  grown.  As  the  result,  a  bee 
is  developed  which  is  several  times  as  large  as  the  others,  and 
is  also  more  intelligent.  Many  examples  can,  moreover,  be 
mentioned  of  the  manner  in  which  the  various  tissues  of 
mankind  and  of  animals  are  influenced  by  this  mode  of  nourish- 
ment. This  will  be  described  in  the  following  chapters,  and  I 
shall  only  adduce  here  the  instructive  example  of  an  experi- 
ment performed  by  John  Hunter:  Birds  living  upon  vege- 
table food,  i.e.,  those  eating  grain,  possess  a  hard,  horny 
musculature  in  their  stomachs, — for  otherwise  they  would  not 
be  able  to  digest  such  hard  food.  The  carnivorous  birds,  gulls, 
for  example,  do  not  require  this  muscular  structure.  Hunter, 
the  great  physiologist  and  surgeon,  fed  gulls  upon  grain  only. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  stomachs  of  these  birds  grew 
to  be  like  those  of  the  naturally  graminivorous  birds.  From 
the  above  it  follows  that  man  and  beast  are  made  what  they 


Introduction. 


are  by  their  food,  and,  therefore,  that  we  are  able,  by  a  dehber- 
ate  choice  of  our  food,  to  influence  our  minds  and  bodies  in 
the  most  favorable  manner  for  the  accomplishment  of  our  best 
achievements.  To  bring  about  this  result  is  the  main  object  of 
our  use  of  food. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  FOOD  UPON  MAN. 

I.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  the  Outward  Appearance  of 
Man,  His  Stature  and  His  Dez'clopment. 

Food  exerts  so  great  an  influence  upon  man  that  even 
the  size  of  his  body  may  be  essentially  affected  thereby.  Thus, 
we  see  that  nations  which  nourish  themselves  with  articles  of 
diet  rich  in  nitrogenous  elements,  that  is,  with  plenty  of  meat, 
in  addition  to  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  other  main  groups 
of  foodstuffs,  e.g.,  the  English,  the  Swedes,  and  other  nations 
living  in  a  similar  way,  attain  to  a  considerable  physical 
development. 

One  might,  perhaps,  attribute  this  circumstance  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  cold  and  damp  climatic  conditions,  but  even  in 
Africa  there  is  a  tribe,  the  Watussi,  which  is  richly  nourished, 
since  its  members  possess  extensive  herds  of  animals,  with 
plenty  of  pasture  land,  and  these  people,  according  to  the 
description  given  of  them  by  Duke  Adolf  Frederick  of  Meck- 
lenburg, are  also  noted  for  their  great  physical  development. 
Among  them  there  may  be  seen  many  individuals  of  a  height 
of  2  meters,  and  even  more.  When,  however,  an  exclusive 
nitrogenous  meat  diet  is  indulged  in,  as  with  the  Eskimos, 
growth  is  hindered,  and  low  stature  is  the  rule.  Not  in  this 
case  either  can  the  climate  be  considered  a  factor,  for  in  that 
of  tropical  x\f rica  there  may  be  found,  in  addition  to  the  above- 
mentioned  giants,  tribes  of  dwarfs,  the  Batwa  and  the  Wam- 
buti.  These  forest-living  dwarfs  are  like  the  Eskimos  in  that 
(10) 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  11 

they  also  feed  almost  exclusively  upon  meat.  There  can  be 
no  question  of  coincidence  in  the  matter.  There  must  there- 
fore be  a  certain  relationship  between  modes  of  nutrition  and 
growth.  This  relationship  must  be  of  such  a  nature  that,  in 
the  pronounced  growth  of  those  persons  living  upon  a  diet 
rich  in  meat,  a  certain  influence  is  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
organs  which  regulate  bodily  growth.  These  organs  are  the 
thyroid  gland,  the  sexual  glands,  and  the  hypophysis.  They 
influence,  in  particular,  the  metabolism  of  lime  and  phosphorus, 
which  are  the  main  elements  of  which  the  bony  structure  is 
composed.  When  these  organs  have  degenerated,  growth  does 
not  usually  take  place,  and  when  there  is  defective  develop- 
ment of  the  sexual  glands  the  well-known  dwarf-like  condition 
of  the  cretins  often  occurs.  The  experiments  of  Briesacher, 
Blum,  and  others  have  proven  that  a  meat  diet — and  this  pref- 
erably not  in  the  fomi  of  meat  which  has  been  boiled  out — 
has  a  stimulating  influence  upon  the  thyroid  gland.  The  in- 
creased growth  of  the  nations  named  above  can  be  accounted 
for  in  this  way, — also  the  fact  often  observed  among  our  own 
people,  viz.,  that  the  children  of  the  wealthy  who  often  eat 
roast  meats  and  other  articles  of  food  rich  in  nitrogenous 
substances  frequently  grow  very  tall,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  children  of  poor  people  often  develop  very  slowly.  This 
would  likewise  afford  an  explanation  of  the  large  number  of 
tall  persons  in  the  aristocracy,  and  among  the  well-to-do>  classes 
where  riches  have  existed  during  generations,  as  in  the 
patrician  families. 

In  animals,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  horse,  the  same  facts 
may  be  observed :  the  English  race  horses,  well  fed  with  oats, 
present  a  marked  contrast  to  the  puny  Hungarian  farm  horses, 
fed  principally  with  hay. 

The  children  of  stunted  growth  seen  in  the  poorer  classes 
can  often  be  made  to  grow  more  rapidly  by  generous  feeding 
and  perhaps  even  artificially,  so  to  speak,  by  the  administration 


12  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

of  extracts  of  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands  of  animals. 
Hertoghe  has  shown  that  a  surprising  development  occurs  in 
backward  children  after  treatment  with  thyroid  extracts.  This 
is  plainly  to  be  seen  in  the  illustrations  he  published.  I  have 
frequently  obtained  the  same  results  by  the  administration  of 
thyroid  extract.  Thus,  last  summer,  after  six  weeks'  combined 
treatment  with  thyroid  and  testicular  extract  in  the  case  of  a 
14-year-old  lad,  with  undeveloped  sexual  glands,  a  very  marked 
increase  in  growth  was  observed,  about  i  cm.  each  week. 
There  occurs  also  a  remarkable  development  of  the  mentality 
in  such  children.  Practically  the  same  results  may  be  brought 
about  by  a  carefully  selected  diet  during  the  period  of  develop- 
ment in  children.  I  may  here  also  cite  a  surprising  example  of 
this  in  the  plant  world.  If  a  plant  is  given  plenty  of  nitrogen 
in  manure,  it  will  grow  to  twice  the  height,  or  even  more,  that 
a  similar  plant  without  manure  will,  especially  if  phosphorus 
is  added  to  the  fertilizing  agent. 

When  nourishment  is  poor  and  insufficient,  man  cannot 
develop  properly;  thus.  Burton  found  the  inhabitants  of 
Dahomey  very  small  and  shriveled  in  appearance.  Their  food 
is  miserable;  in  order  to  get  meat,  they  are  obliged  to  fatten 
dogs  and  eat  them. 

\Mien,  on  the  other  hand,  the  food  consists  almost  ex- 
clusively of  meat,  as  with  the  Eskimos  and  the  dwarf  tribes 
of  the  virgin  forests,  here,  again,  man  cannot  grow  properly. 
There  must  here  be  some  injurious  action,  due  to  the  excessive 
meat  diet,  upon  the  ductless  glands  which  regulate  the  growth 
of  the  body,  viz.,  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands.  That  this 
actually  does  occur  has  been  shown  by  the  experiments  of 
Chalmers  Watson  and  of  Hunter.  Chalmers  Watson  found 
that  the  thyroid  gland  of  rats  and  of  chickens  fed  only  upon 
meat  became  degenerated.  More  recently  Chalmers  Watson 
and  Hunter  have  shown  the  following:  Of  14  rats  fed  on 
meat  alone,  only  8  remained  alive.     During  the  eight  months 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  13 

of  the  experiment,  it  became  evident  that  the  development  of 
these  animals  was  entirely  arrested,  and  that  they  did  not 
grow  at  all.  Houssaye  kept  hens  upon  a  meat  diet,  and  they 
laid  no  eggs.  It  can,  moreover,  be  observed  that  hens  stop 
laying  and  grow  coarse,  wild  feathers  when  farmers  are  care- 
less enough  to  give  them  meat  or  blood  as  food.  This  clearly 
demonstrates  the  influence  of  food  upon  the  outward  appear- 
ance of  animals.  An  instructive  example  of  this  fact,  related 
by  Roberts,  may  here  be  cited :  In  the  Amazon  region  there 
is  a  variety  of  green  parrot.  When  the  natives  feed  these 
birds  with  the  fat  of  large  fishes  of  the  siluroid  class,  found 
in  the  Amazon,  which  food  the  birds  greatly  enjoy,  these 
parrots  grow  a  coat  of  beautiful  red  and  yellow  feathers.  In 
the  Malay  Archipelago  a  kind  of  parrot  is  found  which  is  called 
Lori  Rajah — '"King  Lori."  With  the  usual  rice  food  these 
birds  are  unattractive  in  color,  but  if  they  are  fed  upon  fish 
their  feathers  take  on  a  brilliant  hue. 

In  order  that  man  shall  thrive  on  his  food,  it  must  be 
varied,  and,  above  all,  it  must  contain  sufficient  nitrogen,  i.e., 
albumin — though  not  too  much,  or  it  may  prove  injurious. 
When,  however,  the  diet  contains  too  little  thereof,  it  is  much 
more  harmful.  We  see  this  in  the  Hindoos,  who  live  mainly 
upon  rice  and  millet.  They,  as  well  as  the  majority  of  Japanese 
people,  who  also  feed  almost  exclusively  upon  rice,  and 
likewise  the  Chinese  and  the  Malays,  are  all  thin;  and  since 
the  nitrogen  is  not  sufficiently  represented  in  their  nourish- 
ment, they  very  rarely  grow  tall,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
the  Manchus,  who  resort  to  a  rather  richer  nitrogenous  diet. 
Chalmers  Watson  and  Andrew  Hunter  also  showed,  in  their 
experiments  already  referred  to,  that  young  rats  fed  only  upon 
rice  were  backward  in  growth. 

The  vegetarian  negro  tribes  also  remain  lean.  Stout 
people  are  almost  never  seen  among  them,  while,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  negroes  living  upon  a  mixed  diet  in  the  United 


14  Health  Through  Rational  Diet 

States  often  show  a  considerable  abdominal  development.  In 
my  country,  too,  there  is  no  lack  of  persons  with  overdeveloped 
abdomens,  and  the  majority  of  those  people  who,  together  with 
a  sufficient  meat  diet,  eat  plenty  of  pastry  and  sweets,  and  like- 
wise drink  much  beer,  may  of  a  certainty  count  upon  such 
an  alteration  in  their  appearance.  In  this  connection  the  duct- 
less glands,  those  wonderful  structures  the  influence  of  which 
upon  the  entire  organism  I  have  more  fully  described  in  my 
work  '"'Old  Age  Deferred,"  play  an  important  role,  inasmuch 
as  they  regulate  the  metabolic  processes  of  the  organism. 

Upon  the  outer  covering  of  the  body — the  skin — the  food 
also  has  an  influence.  This,  in  many  persons,  shows  itself  in 
the  occurrence  of  rashes  and  eruptions  after  the  ingestion  of 
certain  foods,  as  cheese,  strawberries,  etc.  When  the  flesh  of 
animals  which  subsist  in  an  unclean  medium,  as  do  occasionally 
the  oysters,  or  which  eat  refuse  and  decomposing  substances, 
as  do  lobsters  and  crabs,  is  eaten,  such  an  eruption  is  frequently 
obser\'ed  to  appear.  Comparable  with  this  is  the  occurrence 
of  eczema  after  fish  that  is  not  fresh  has  been  partaken  of. 
Very  interesting  is  the  appearance  of  widespread  eruptions 
such  as  those  which  occur  in  Java  when  one  has  eaten  a  kind 
of  mango  fruit,  the  mangoguani.  In  Brazil  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  persons,  and  especially  those  who  have  once 
had  syphilis,  may  count  with  certainty  upon  having  a  widely 
diffused  eruption  of  the  skin  after  having  eaten  of  the  meat 
of  the  tapir.  This  animal  feeds  upon  all  manner  of  refuse,  and 
very  often  there  may  be  found  in  its  stomach  pieces  of  wood, 
lumps  of  earth,  etc.  It  is  very  probable  that  the  above  symp- 
toms, appearing  after  one  has  eaten  fruit  grown  in  an  unclean 
soil  or  the  meat  of  animals  which  ingest  injurious  substances  as 
food,  are  to  be  regarded  as  the  result  of  the  poison-eliminating 
function  of  the  skin. 


The  luHuence  of  Food  \ipon  Man.  15 


2.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  the  Nervous  System  and  upon 
the  Attributes  of  the  Mind  and  Temperament. 

Many  wild  animals  become  remarkably  tame  when  de- 
prived of  a  meat  diet.  Justus  von  Liebig  noticed  in  Giessen 
a  young  bear  that  was  very  tame  when  no  meat  was  given  him, 
but  became  wild  and  unmanageable  when  again  fed  upon  meat. 
Tamers  of  animals,  moreover,  make  use  of  this  fact,  simply  by 
bringing  up  young  animals,  whenever  possible,  entirely  with- 
out flesh  food,  the  animals  being  thus  rendered  quite  tame,  so 
that  they  are  easily  trained. 

To  a  greater  or  less  degree  the  same  may  be  observed  in 
man.  It  is  a  fact  that  nations  that  live  upon  a  vegetable  diet, 
and  in  particular  mainly  upon  rice,  as  do  the  majority  of  the 
Chinese,  the  Hindoos,  etc.,  are  of  a  peace-loving  nature.  As 
an  illustration  of  the  converse  I  would  like  to  cite  the  interest- 
ing example  given  by  Captain  Merker  of  an  African  tribe,  the 
Masais,  a  branch  of  the  Semites.  As  related,  in  his  great  work 
on  these  interesting  people,  by  Captain  Merker,  whose  prema- 
ture removal  from  his  scientific  labors  by  death  is  greatly  to  be 
deplored,  all  the  warriors  of  this  brave  and  warlike  tribe  live 
exclusively  upon  meat,  blood,  and  milk,  in  companies  apart 
from  the  rest  of  the  people.  The  Spartans  ate  bloody  soups 
and  rare  meats  as  a  daily  food.  Liebig^  states  that  carnivorous 
animals  are  more  courageous  and  savage  than  the  herbivorous 
ones,  which  actually  become  their  prey. 

The  nations  living  principally  upon  vegetables  are  less 
prone  to  engage  in  warlike  enterprises;  they  like  quiet  and 
peace,  and  are  especially  lacking  in  initiative  and  energy.  This 
need  not  surprise  us,  for  it  is  precisely  the  albumin,  of  all  food 
substances  the  greatest  promoter  of  energy,  which  is  very 
sparingly  represented  in  their  aliments.     It  is  owing  to  this 


Justus  von  Liebig :   Lancet,  1869,  p.  186,  cited  according  to  Pavy. 


16  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

fact  that  a  comparatively  small  number  of  meat-eating,  ener- 
getic Britishers  and  Dutchmen  have  mastered  millions  of  rice- 
eating  Hindoos  and  Malays,  and  that  a  few  Belgians  were  able 
to  subjugate  the  millions  of  inhabitants  of  the  enormous  Congo 
regions,  who,  with  the  exception  of  the  forest-dwellers,  live 
upon  the  starchy  flour  made  from  the  manioc  and  other  similar 
roots,  and  upon  millet,  batates,  and  bananas — all  of  them  poor 
in  albumin,  save  the  millet,  the  albumin  in  which  is,  however, 
rather  difficult  to  make  use  of.  It  would  be  incorrect,  of 
course,  to  ascribe  all  this  solely  to  the  influence  of  the  inferior 
food — the  higher  intelligence  and  achievements  of  civilization 
also  play  their  parts.  Nevertheless,  the  kind  of  food  partaken 
of  since  childhood  makes  man,  to  a  great  extent,  what  he  is  in 
physique.  We  shall  show,  too,  that  intelligence  and  all  mental 
attributes  in  general  are  greatly  influenced  by  food. 

While  the  nations  living  principally  upon  rice  and  other 
foods  equally  poor  in  nitrogen  are  lacking  in  energy  and  ini- 
tiative, they  possess  another  characteristic  in  which  they  sur- 
pass other  nations,  viz.,  their  untiring  capacity  for  work. 
When  a  meat-eater  has  a  heavy  load  to  carry,  he  soon  becomes 
overheated,  perspires,  and  very  soon  grows  tired.  It  is  quite 
otherwise  with  the  carbohydrate-eating  vegetarian,  who  does 
not  suffer  in  the  same  way, — a  fact  which  I  have  myself  tested 
by  experimenting  with  various  kinds  of  food.  The  ability  to 
work  is  maintained  through  combustion  of  the  carbohydrates, 
and  the  vegetarians  are  able,  as  we  shall  later  explain  more 
fully,  to  continue  certain  kinds  of  work,  such  as  marching, 
rowing,  etc.,  much  longer  than  meat-eaters,  without  being  so 
fatigued,  even  after  a  very  long  period  of  activity.  We  shall 
also  relate  almost  incredible  feats  performed  by  the  Congo 
negroes  and  other  vegetarian  tribes.  One  example  may,  how- 
ever, here  be  mentioned :  As  the  troops  of  Tippo  Tipp  were 
being  annihilated,  a  Congo  negro  carried  the  joyful  news  in  a 
letter  from  Lukungu  to  Matadi  in  one  day,  a  distance  of  lOO 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  17 

kilometers,  and  another  negro  carried  the  letter  on  from 
Matadi  to  Leopoldsville,  another  stretch  of  loo  kilometers, 
also  in  one  day.  When  we  consider  that  this  was  over  un- 
trodden roads,  not  in  any  way  to  be  compared  with  ours,  and, 
furthermore,  remember  the  tropical  temperature,  which,  while 
it  does  not  particularly  affect  the  Congo  natives,  must  never- 
theless be  taken  into  account,  the  feats  just  mentioned  must  be 
regarded  as  most  remarkable. 

Another  advantage  of  a  diet  largely  vegetarian  lies  in  the 
fact  that  nervousness  is,  in  general,  less  prevalent  among  people 
living  upon  such  food  than  in  those  who  are  meat-eaters.  In 
this  respect  there  exists  a  certain  inferiority  in  the  meat-eating 
European,  as  compared  with  the  Orientals  and  other  vegetarian 
nations,  who  look  down  upon  the  Europeans  on  this  account, 
and  have  but  little  consideration  for  them. 

Foods  may  influence  the  nervous  system  through  the  in- 
termediary of  the  blood  supplied  to  it.  Deterioration  of  food 
or  the  presence  of  injurious  substances  therein  may  generate 
certain  toxic  products  in  the  blood,  thus  giving  rise  to  an  in- 
flammatory condition,  a  toxic  neuritis.  Certain  substances 
contained  in  meat  stimulate  the  nervous  system,  the  extractives, 
for  instance.  Taken  in  large  quantities,  these  may  exert  an 
irritating  effect,  either  directly  or  by  affecting  the  thyroid 
gland,  which  has  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  nervous  system. 

The  quantity  of  food  also  plays  an  important  role,  as  in- 
sufficiency thereof,  more  especially  of  the  albumin  contained 
therein,  very  greatly  affects  the  quantity  and  the  composition  of 
the  blood,  and  consequently  also  affects  the  condition  of  the 
nervous  system,  which  is  nourished  by  the  blood.  The  centers 
of  thought  can  only  carry  on  their  functions  when  well  sup- 
plied with  blood.  When,  through  a  diseased  condition  of  the 
smaller  blood-vessels  and  stenosis  of  them  because  of  arterio- 
sclerosis or  syphilis,  the  centers  are  poorly  supplied  with  blood, 
very  marked  disturbances  of  the  intellect  may  occur.     This 


18  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

may  also  take  place,  though  in  a  less  degree,  when  the  blood  is 
impoverished  and  also  diminished  in  quantity  owing  to  an 
insufficiency  of  albumin  in  the  food.  Very  frequently  the 
intellectual  attainments  of  undernourished  persons  are  quite 
different  from  those  of  the  well-fed.  Persons  suft'ering  from 
hunger  may  sometimes,  it  is  tnie,  achieve  very  praiseworthy 
results  in  intellectual  pursuits,  but  necessity  is  here  the  motive 
power,  and  these  same  persons  would  most  probably  accom- 
plish very  much  more  under  a  generous  diet.  Many  a  neglected 
genius  would  soon  make  itself  felt  if,  in  the  stress  of  need,  a 
helping  hand  could  be  held  out  to  it ;  instead,  it  is  unfortunately 
left  to  struggle  on  in  misery.  Especially  in  the  case  of  gifted 
children,  who,  like  all  children,  require  ample  nourishment 
during  the  period  of  growth,  the  State  should  lend  assistance 
wher  the  parents  are  needy.  Such  children  should  be  well 
nourished  and  taken  care  of.  There  are  plenty  of  industrious 
pupils,  but  those  with  original  and  ingenious  ideas  are  very 
rare,  and  these  should,  in  the  interest  of  the  development  of 
mankind,  not  be  left  to  starve. 

That  the  nourishment  exerts  a  great  influence  upon  the 
quality  of  the  intellectual  accomplishments  cannot  be  denied  if 
we  consider  the  difference  between  the  products  of  the  mind 
evolved  under  dift'erent  forms  of  diet.  It  is  certain  that  the 
meat-eating  or,  we  may  rather  say,  albumin-consuming,  people 
have  accomplished  much  more  in  the  way  of  original  and 
creative  work  than  those  leading  a  vegetarian  life.  The 
English  and  Americans,  who  are  great  meat-consumers,  rank 
among  the  first  in  the  field  of  initiative  knowledge  and  inven- 
tion. In  order  to  illustrate  the  influence  of  food  upon  the 
intellectual  activity,  I  should  like  to  place  side  by  side  for  com- 
parison a  young  American  boy  of  14  years  who  eats  meat 
even  at  breakfast  and  a  pale,  bespectacled  German  lad  of  14. 
Although  the  American  might  k-now  less  of  dead  languages 
and  of  abstract  science  which  he  would  never  have  anv  use  for 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  May 


during  his  life,  he  would  certainly  surpass  the  other  in  intelli- 
gence and  common  sense. 

Were  we  to  ascribe  the  superiority  of  the  meat-eaters,  or, 
more  predsely  speaking,  of  those  who  absorb  a  great  deal  or  at 
least  a  suffidency  of  albumin,  to  the  more  favorable  climatic 
conditions  of  the  temperate  zones  of  Europe,  it  might  be 
answered  that  China  and  Japan  have,  for  the  most  part,  the 
same  climatic  conditions.  (According  to  Oshima,  75  per  cent 
of  the  Japanese  are  almost  exclusively  v^etarian.)  Xever- 
theless,  science  in  these  countries  is  of  a  more  contemplative 
and  philosophic  nature.  Ingenious  ideas,  which  open  out  a 
new  horizon,  and  which  advance  the  progress  of  mankind 
with  giant  strides,  do  not  grow  upon  their  soil.  We  see,  on 
the  contrary,  the  achievements  of  European  scientists  being 
accomplished  with  a  bee-like  activity  and  more  and  more  ex- 
tensively developed.  Xew  ideas,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  medical 
sciences,  originate  principally  with  the  Europeans,  and  the 
Japanese  scholars  then  carry  on  with  unflagging  industry  most 
elaborate  and  difficult  experiments.  ^Medicine  has  been  en- 
riched by  the  Japanese  in  many  of  its  branches,  but  in  the 
creative  field  they  have  as  yet  accomplished  but  little.  It  may 
be  assumed,  however,  that  this  wiU  soon  be  the  case,  inas- 
much as  the  Japanese  are  now  learning  to  take  a  larger  amount 
of  albuminous  food;  the  diet  of  the  soldiers  is  especially  well 
looked  after  in  this  respect 

In  the  nutrition  of  the  central  nervous  sv'stem  albumin  also 
plays  a  role  of  the  first  importance  as  a  distributor  of  energy. 
With  an  allmminous  diet — meat  fish,  and  eg^, — such  ele- 
ments as  phosphorus  and  lecithin,  which  are  indispensable  for 
the  building  up  and  maintenance  of  the  central  nervous  system, 
are  also  introduced.  With  a  diet  of  rice,  however,  scarcely  any- 
thing of  these  elements  is  absorbed,  as  the  rice  is  usually,  or  at 
least  by  the  majority,  eaten  without  its  outer  coating ;  and  it  is 
precisely  these  husks  that  contain  the  most  phosphorus. 


20  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

To  the  above  remarks  I  would  like  to  add,  in  order  not  to 
be  misunderstood,  that  I  am  not  contemplating  an  unrestrained 
advocacy  of  an  overrich  albumin  diet.  Such  a  one  may,  as  I 
shall  show  later,  act  very  injuriously  in  all  respects.  My  in- 
tention is  rather  to  show  that  foods  containing  sufficient 
albumin  are  essential  for  intellectual  attainments,  and  especially 
so  when,  in  our  schools,  great  mental  efforts  are  required  of 
the  scholars  during  their  growing  period.  I  consider  it  my 
duty  to  emphasize  this  fact,  in  view  of  the  tendency  existing  at 
present  to  undervalue  the  importance  of  albumin  and  advise 
against  its  adequate  use.  In  the  interest  of  the  welfare  of  the 
people  this  must  be  combated  with  all  the  means  at  our  com- 
mand. As  in  all  the  departments  of  pathology  and  therapy, 
so  also  here  the  principle  that  both  too  little  and  too  much  of  a 
necessary  thing  are  injurious  is  not  given  enough  considera- 
tion; the  rational  course  is  the  intermediate  one. 

If  lime  and  phosphorus  are  indispensable  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  supporting  bony  frame,  they  are  so  nonetheless 
for  the  development  and  maintenance  of  the  central  nervous 
system.  The  importance  of  phosphorus  for  the  body  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  probably  no  other  mineral  is  so  stubbornly 
retained  by  it  as  this  one.  That  the  mental  functions  are  very 
greatly  influenced  by  it  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  in  the 
conditions  in  which  this  substance  is  eliminated  in  considerable 
quantities,  e.g.,  in  Basedow's  disease,  acromegaly,  osteo- 
malacia, diabetes,  and  in  certain  phosphaturias,  as  in  prosta- 
titis, etc.,  not  only  does  pronounced  nervousness  occur,  but 
frequently  also  psychic  disturbances,  while,  again,  in  many 
mental  affections  an  increased  elimination  of  lime  and  phos- 
phorus may  be  observed. 

When  we  now  inquire  how  the  increased  outgo  of  phos- 
phorus is  occasioned  in  the  above  conditions,  we  must  first  look 
for  the  causes  of  the  diseases  mentioned.  They  lie,  as  is 
known,  in  alterations  in  certain  ductless  glands — the  thyroid, 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  21 

the  sexual  glands,  and  the  hypophysis.  It  follows  therefrom 
that  these  glands  must  also  have  a  great  influence  upon  the 
metabolism  of  phosphorus  and  of  lime  compounds.  That  this 
is  actually  so  is  shown  by  the  work  of  many  investigators.  It 
was  found  by  Roos  that  the  excretion  of  phosphoric  acid  is 
increased  when  preparations  of  thyroid  gland  are  taken,  and  is, 
on  the  contrary,  diminished  when  the  thyroid  gland  has  been 
removed.  Scholz,  also,  found  that  an  elimination  of  phosphoric 
acid  amounting  to  more  than  ten  times  the  normal  quantity 
occurs  through  the  intestine  when  thyroid  gland  is  given  to 
patients  with  Basedow's  disease.  The  conditions  existing  in 
osteomalacia  teach  us  that  similar  conditions  exist  in  connec- 
tion with  the  sexual  glands, — a  fact  to  be  referred  to  again 
later  on. 

It  is  therefore  of  great  importance  that  there  should  be  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  lime  and  phosphorus  in  the  food;  when 
there  is  not,  alterations  in  the  nervous  system  occur.  Thus, 
Grijns,  Eickmann,  Axel  Hoist,  Nocht,  and  Schaumann  have 
found  that  when  there  is  a  deficiency  of  phosphorus,  in  man  as 
well  as  in  animals,  a  degeneration  of  the  peripheral  nerves 
(polyneuritis)  occurs,  and  that  animals  succumb  under  this 
condition  (beriberi  is  also  caused  by  a  lack  of  phosphorus  in 
the  food),  while  they  continue  to  live  when  phosphorus  is  given 
to  them  in  their  food.  According  to  Hulshof  Pol,  beriberi 
can  be  cured,  and  likewise  prevented,  by  the  administration  of 
a  kind  of  bean,  the  kadjang-idoe  (Phaseolus  radiaius). 
Scurvy  and  Barlow's  disease  must  also  stand  in  relation  to 
such  conditions.  When  we  wish  to  supply  sufficient  phos- 
phorus to  our  bodies,  we  must  use  for  this  purpose  organic 
phosphorus,  and  this  is  best  in  the  form  of  an  animal  food  rich 
in  nucleins.  At  the  same  time  we  can  by  a  nuclein-rich  meat 
and  fish  diet  cause  a  stimulating  action  upon  the  organ  which 
regulates  the  use  of  the  phosphorus  in  our  bodies,  which  we 
shall  refer  to  again  later  on. 


22  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Besides  the  intelligence,  many  other  important  functions, 
as  sleep,  for  instance,  are  influenced  by  the  food.  After  a 
heavy  meal  of  meat,  a  feeling  of  drowsiness  comes  on;  the 
sleep,  however,  is  of  short  duration,  and  is  easily  disturbed. 
While  during  sleep  most  of  our  functions  are  quiet  and  but 
slightly  active,  the  digestive  organs  nevertheless  continue  their 
work,  and  when  aliments  difficult  of  digestion  have  been  taken 
at  the  evening  meal  the  sleep  is  troubled ;  the  same  is  the  case 
when  there  is  overacidity  of  the  gastric  juice.  The  formation 
of  gas  is  also  very  disturbing  when  food  rich  in  cellulose, 
tending  to  produce  flatulence,  has  been  eaten. 

The  function  of  sexual  potency  may  also  be  dependent 
upon  food.  An  ample  flow  of  blood  to  the  sexual  organs  and 
the  regulation  of  this  blood-flow  through  the  influence  of  the 
nerves  play  an  important  role  in  the  maintenance  of  the  state 
of  potency.  With  poor  food  the  sexual  impulse,  or  libido,  is 
but  little  stimulated,  and  the  fulfillment  of  the  act  is  incomplete ; 
with  overfeeding,  especially  with  meat  and  certain  other  foods, 
the  sexual  desire  may  be  stimulated,  though  the  accomplish- 
ment of  coitus  may  be  correspondingly  less  satisfactory,  owing 
to  certain  nervous  influences. 

The  influence  of  food  upon  the  temperament  is  of  great 
importance.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  fact  that  nations 
leading  a  vegetarian  life  are  of  a  peaceful  nature.  Nervous- 
ness and  excitability  occur  much  more  rarely  than  with  the 
Europeans,  and  the  individuals  are  also  much  better  able  to 
control  themselves,  and  do  not  at  once  betray  in  their  appear- 
ance every  emotion  or  passion.  The  meat-eating  European 
does  not  appear  to  good  advantage  beside  them  in  this  respect ; 
he  is  very  nervous,  easily  excited,  and  does  not  take  the  trouble 
to  control  himself;  he  shows  his  bad  temper  at  once.  This  is, 
however,  a  serious  error  in  deportment  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Orientals — and  with  perfect  reason.  Violence,  insolent  at- 
tacks, oflfences  against  the  person  through  passion,  occur  much 


The  Influoicc  of  Food  upon  Man.  23 

more  rarely  among  peoples  almost  or  entirely  vegetarian  than 
among  those  living  upon  meat.  If  the  main  objective  point 
of  progress  among  mankind  were  peacefulness  and  quiet,  and 
the  life  in  common — as  in  Paradise — of  wild  and  tame  animals, 
without  mutual  annihilation,  an  exclusively  vegetarian  diet 
would  be  the  best  way  to  attain  this  result.  A  quieting  influ- 
ence is  exerted  upon  the  mind  by  such  a  diet,  and  violent 
criminals  may  be  subdued  by  means  of  it.  It  is  also  to  be 
noted  that  if  we  regard  criminality  as  a  variety  of  disease  its 
cure  is  to  be  attempted  with  food  of  vegetable  origin.  Such 
food  is  actually  given  in  many  prisons.  It  may,  however,  also 
have  an  injurious  effect,  for  we  shall  show  later  that  tuber- 
culosis is  often  developed  upon  this  basis,  so  that  the  atone- 
ment for  crime  in  this  way  often  becomes  too  inhuman.  This 
kind  of  undernourishment,  furthermore,  is  not  of  a  nature  to 
exert  a  healing  and  improving  effect  upon  the  disposition,  for 
it  has  an  injurious  effect  upon  the  nervous  system  and  the 
mind.  The  symptoms  are  very  often  aggravated  in  neuras- 
thenia, if  too  little  is  eaten  or  the  meals  are  taken  too  far  apart ; 
cramming  with  food — ^^^eir  IMitchell's  treatment — may  here  do 
much  good.  The  late  Professor  de  Smet,  of  Brussels,  gave 
such  patients  large  quantities  of  Iambic,  an  acid  Belgian  beer, 
to  drink,  in  order  to  stimulate  their  appetites,  and  allowed  them 
to  eat  bacon,  eggs,  and  meat  every  three  or  four  hours,  until 
they  were  well  fattened ;  the  neurasthenics  were  nearly  always 
benefited,  and  even  more  so  hysterical  women,  who  in  fear  of 
their  nervous  dyspepsia  did  not  have  the  courage  to  eat,  and 
were,  in  consequence,  half-starved. 

That  the  temperament  is  very  frequently  unfavorably  in- 
fluenced by  undernutrition  is  certain.  A  cat  which  has  eaten 
well  purrs  and  is  contented.  A  dog  which  has  not  had  enough 
growls  and  is  ready  to  bite.  The  average  man,  too,  feels  satis- 
fied after  having  enjoyed  a  good  midday  meal,  and  is  then  in 
a  good  humor.     Quite  the  contrary,  however,  w^hen  the  repast 


24  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

has  not  been  to  his  taste,  and  he  gets  up  hungry.  Then  he 
gets  surly  and  grumbles ;  how  true  the  English  proverb  is : 
"A  hungry  man  is  an  angry  man!"  The  same  may  be  ob- 
served with  respect  to  entire  nations,  and  history  shows  us  that 
hunger  and  need  have  often  driven  the  people  to  revolutions, 
as,  e.g.,  in  the  great  French  Revolution.  Statesmen  who 
govern  a  nation  can  most  easily  bring  about  a  contented  condi- 
tion among  the  people  if  they  aim  at  giving  them  food  of  good 
quality  at  low  prices;  otherwise,  the  agitators  have  an  easy 
task,  and  there  is  increasing  discontent.  As  in  the  time  of 
Rome,  the  people,  even  now,  demand  "panem  et  circenses." 

Hunger  and  the  sexual  impulse  constitute  the  driving 
power  behind  the  activity  of  man  and  animals.  How  many 
crimes  have  been  instigated  by  poverty  and  the  resultant 
hunger !  And,  yet,  these  instinctive  forces  have  their  good  sides, 
like  all  that  is  bad  upon  earth.  They  incite  tO'  work.  If  the 
farmer  did  not  fear  hunger  and  poverty,  he  would  not  till  his 
field,  and  we  would  be  deprived  of  our  daily  bread.  Without 
need  and  hunger,  much  of  the  progress  of  mankind,  and  many 
a  discovery  and  invention,  would  have  remained  unaccom- 
plished. Necessity  stimulates  invention.  Blessed  be  poverty, 
for  without  poverty  there  would  be  no  riches!  The  had  is 
necessary  in  this  ivorld,  in  order  that  the  good  may  grow  out 
of  it. 

3.  The  Influence  of  Foodstuffs  upon  the  Teeth,  Pharynx, 
and  Vocal  Apparatus. 

Of  all  the  substances  which  are  injurious  to  the  teeth, 
acid  saliva,  as  a  primary  factor,  plays  the  most  important  role. 
This  condition  may  be  brought  about  by  certain  articles  of 
food,  such  as  sugar  (Holz),  which  increase  the  acidity  in  the 
cavities  of  the  teeth,  injurious  results  following.  A  plentiful 
meat  diet  will  also  cause  acid  saliva.     In  addition  to  its  other 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  25 

prejudicial  effects  upon  the  substance  of  the  teeth  themselves, 
acid  saliva  favors  the  formation  of  tartar.  When  the  tartar 
extends  under  the  gum,  the  latter  becomes  loosened,  and  a 
pocket  is  formed  which  constitutes  a  welcome  nidus  for  a 
variety  of  small  organisms,  suppuration  therefore  occurring 
around  the  neck  of  the  tooth.  This  may  cause  the  tooth  to  be 
irrevocably  lost.  It  is  precisely  in  persons  who  have  the  pret- 
tiest and  most  regular  teeth  that  we  most  frequently  see  this 
most  terrible  disease  of  the  teeth,  pyorrhoea  aheolaris. 

According  to  Hermann,  there  may  exist  a  predisposition 
to  this  affection,  in  the  sense  that  it  most  frequently  occurs  in 
diabetics  and  those  suffering  from  gout.  Now,  these  diseases 
are  very  often  the  result  of  overnutrition, — overfeeding  upon 
meat, — so  that  here  also  the  acid  property  of  the  saliva  plays  a 
role. 

If  one  wishes  to  protect  the  teeth,  one  must  always  wash 
out  the  mouth  immediately  after  eating  sugar,  honey,  acid 
fruits,  fruit  acids,  grapes,  or  other  fruits,  and  this  is  best  done 
with  a  fluid  containing  some  alkali,  e.g.,  with  some  alkaline 
mineral  water,  or  water  to  which  bicarbonate  of  soda  has  been 
added.  Toothpastes  containing  alkalies  may  also  act  very 
favorably. 

With  a  meat  diet,  it  should  be  remembered  that  particles 
of  the  meat  which  remain  between  the  teeth  may  easily  become 
decomposed.  A  toothpick  must  then  be  carefully  used;  con- 
forming with  good  manners,  this  is  best  done  when  one  is 
alone.  Antiseptic  mouth-washes,  odol,  for  instance,  or,  even 
better,  hydrogen  peroxide,  can  destroy  the  bacteria  of  decom- 
positions. It  is  important  to  cleanse  the  teeth  with  a  some- 
what hard  toothbrush  after  each  meal. 

The  saliva  itself  exerts  a  cleansing  effect  on  the  buccal 
cavity  and  the  teeth.  Food  substances  giving  rise  to  much 
saliva,  such  as  hard  bread,  may  also  have  a  useful  action  upon 
the  teeth.     When  much  saliva  is  secreted,  the  acid  resulting 


26  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

from  the  previous  use  of  sugar,  for  instance,  may  be  counter- 
acted through  the  alkaline  property  of  the  saliva.  Chewing 
forms  a  splendid  gymnastic  exercise  for  the  teeth,  which  are 
correspondingly  strengthened  by  all  such  foods  as  require  con- 
siderable mastication.  Hard,  black  bread,  rye  bread,  is  par- 
ticularly recommended  by  Roese  for  keeping  the  teeth  in  good 
condition.  He  also  takes  into  account  the  mineral  salts,  such 
as  lime,  contained  therein.  I  feel  impelled  to  remark,  however, 
in  this  connection  that  the  action  of  the  black  rye  bread  in  the 
intestine  is  not  favorable,  and  that  a  rather  large  proportion  of 
the  nutritive  salts,  and  consequently  of  the  lime,  is  lost.  The 
discovery  of  Roese,  that  drinking-water  containing  lime  in- 
creases the  alkalinity  of  the  saliva,  is  worthy  of  note. 

The  amount  of  lime  contained  in  the  food  is  of  the  great- 
est importance  in  keeping  the  teeth  in  good  condition, — espe- 
cially during  the  period  of  growth, — since  the  teeth  are 
principally  formed  of  lime  and  magnesia.  According  to 
Roese,  as  stated  above,  drinking-water  containing  lime  may 
act  well  here ;  he  also  mentions  the  interesting  fact  that,  wher- 
ever such  water  is  consumed,  the  population  has  fine  teeth — 
yellowish-white  teeth  are  the  strongest;  where  the  water  is 
soft,  on  the  other  hand,  one  finds  universally  poor  teeth.  By 
the  free  use  of  lime-containing  drinking-water,  as  well  as  of 
food  substances  containing  much  lime,  such  as  milk,  much 
good  may  be  accomplished  in  the  way  of  retention  of  the 
teeth. 

The  secretion  of  saliva  is  greatly  stimulated  by  chewing, 
and  this  is  not  only  beneficial  for  the  teeth,  but  for  the  throat 
as  well.  In  persons  who  have  large  tonsils  these  organs  fre- 
quently become  inflamed ;  the  inflammatory  condition,  in  turn, 
has  a  deleterious  effect  upon  the  throat,  and  consequently  a 
chronic  inflammation  is  developed.  The  secretion  of  a  large 
quantity  of  saliva  may  here  be  of  much  benefit ;  it  is  helpful  in 
these  cases  to  use  special  chewing  tablets,  such  as  are  much 


The  Iniluence  of  Food  upon  Man.  27 

employed  in  the  United  States,  where  gum  is  prepared  with 
sugar  and  the  various  fruit  extracts  for  this  purpose,  and  used 
in  very  large  quantities.  I  wish  that  I  could  create  here  a 
sentiment  which  would  encourage  the  Austrian  and  German 
industries  in  the  manufacture  of  this  "chewing  gum" ;  this 
would  not  only  have  a  beneficial  influence  upon  the  throat  and 
the  tonsils,  but  upon  the  teeth  as  well,  for  which  it  would, 
with  the  increased  flow  of  saliva,  act  as  a  cleansing  agent. 
It  would  be  necessary,  however,  that  only  pure  ingre- 
dients, and  in  no  case  injurious  substances,  should  be  used. 
The  use  of  chewing  gum  probably  originated  with  the  old 
Aztecs.  I  found  in  the  British  Museum,  in  the  records  of  the 
Dominican  monk,  P.  Bernardius  Sahagun,  who  accompanied 
the  Spanish  conquerors  to  Mexico,  that  the  prostitutes,  in  par- 
ticular, continually  chewed  gum  ("chicle").  They  also  had 
w^onderfully  beautiful  teeth. 

The  various  substances  injurious  to  the  teeth,  especially 
acids,  may  be  hurtful  to  the  throat.  Alkaline  mineral  waters 
are  very  useful,  especially  those  of  the  nature  of  Ems  water. 

Of  the  acids,  only  the  very  acid  fruits  act  injuriously; 
those  less  sour  may,  unless  taken  in  very  large  quantities,  be 
advantageous,  since  they  act  as  a  preventive  against  inflamma- 
tion of  the  tonsils. 

Certain  fruits,  such  as  the  bilberry  and  the  blackberry,  are 
good  for  the  throat,  and  they  can  be  used  combined  with 
glycerin  in  the  manner  of  the  English  "glycerin  and  black- 
currant lozenges"  with  much  benefit.  They  are  especially 
good  for  dryness  of  the  throat,  and  also  have  a  favorable  action 
upon  the  voice. 

A  similar  effect  is  produced  by  all  of  the  mucilaginous 
and  fatty  food  substances  in  general,  such  as  glycerin,  various 
oils  and  fats.  The  action  of  raw  eggs  is  well  known.  Coarse 
and  irritant  foods,  of  a  sandy  or  corn-like  consistency,  such  as 
nuts,  chestnuts,  etc.,  are,  on  the  contrary,  injurious. 


28  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Honey,  and  sugar  in  various  forms,  e.g.,  candy,  while 
not  exerting  a  good  influence  upon  the  teeth,  act  favorably 
upon  the  pharynx  and  the  voice,  especially  v\^hen,  as  in  the 
glycerin  lozenges,  the  sugar  is  added  to  glycerin.  The  muci- 
laginous constituent  of  many  pastilles,  as,  for  instance,  those 
made  with  Iceland  moss,  acts  very  favorably.  Such  muci- 
laginous lozenges,  of  a  gummy  consistency,  may  be  made  of 
the  various  alg?e,  and  be  employed  for  lubricating  the  throat 
when  it  is  undaly  dry,  as  well  as  for  keeping  the  throat  and 
voice  in  good  condition.  Malt  bonbons  likewise  have  a  good 
effect  by  virtue  of  their  expectorant  properties. 

Many  articles  of  food,  e.g.,  cheese,  act  unfavorably  upon 
the  voice.    Many  singers  do  not  drink  beer  for  this  reason. 

Tobacco,  and  especially  cigarettes,  have  a  most  injurious 
effect  upon  the  throat  and  voice,  and  yet  great  singers  like 
Caruso  smoke.  I  have  frequently  seen  Dalmores  smoking 
cigarettes. 

Alcohol  is  also  injurious  to  the  voice  when  taken  in  large 
amount.  It  may,  on  the  contrary,  when  greatly  sweetened  with 
sugar,  especially  in  the  form  of  Swedish  punches, — but  only 
of  the  better  kinds,  not  the  "Banco," — act  quite  advantageously 
upon  the  "timbre"  of  the  voice,  and  make  it  clearer.  At  least, 
I  have  several  times  observed  this  effect.  I  certainly  do  not 
wish  to  imply,  however,  that  the  magnificent  voices  of  the 
Swedish  students'  chorus  and  their  masterly  singing — probably 
the  best  among  the  students'  choruses  of  the  world — bear  any 
relationship  to  their  enjoyment  of  the  national  punch. 

4.  The  Influence  of  Food  upon  the  Digestiz'e  Organs. 

When  we  examine  the  skull,  found  in  the  Neander  valley, 
of  the  primitive  man  who  lived  so  many  thousands  of  years 
before  us,  we  are  at  once  struck  by  the  colossal  size  of  the  jaws. 
It  would  appear  that  these  were  necessary  in  the  prehistoric 


The  In-flnence  of  Food  upon  Man.  29 

man  in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  break  up  thoroughly 
the  indigestible  raw  foods,  not  previously  prepared  by  cooking, 
so  that  they  could  be  of  use  to  his  body.  The  size  of  the  jaws 
was  here  undoubtedly  adapted  to  the  nature  of  the  food ;  it  was 
a  necessity  and  a  consequence  of  the  feeding  upon  foods  which 
required  much  chewing,  with  the  aid  of  strong  jaws. 

Whether  another  such  adaptation  existed  in  the  length  of 
the  intestine,  as  we  see  it  in  herbivorous  animals,  remains 
undetermined.  The  teeth  and  the  skeletons  of  these  primitive 
human  beings  have  withstood  the  ravages  of  time,  but  not  so 
the  softer  portions  of  the  body.  That  such  an  adaptation  of 
the  intestine  existed  is  rendered  probable  by  the  fact  that  the 
length  of  the  gut  varies  in  animals  of  the  same  species,  taken 
quite  young  and  while  growing,  when  some  are  fed  exclusively 
upon  plant  food  and  the  others  mostly  upon  meat.  This  has 
been  shown  by  the  experiments  of  Babak.^  The  degree  of 
variation  may  be  quite  considerable. 

The  same  thing  may  be  observed  in  humankind.  In  those 
who  have,  since  childhood,  been  fed  upon  a  diet  consisting 
principally  of  meat,  the  intestine  is  shorter  than  in  those  who 
have  subsisted  upon  a  vegetarian  diet.  In  the  Chinese  and 
Japanese  the  intestines  are  one-third  longer  than  in  Europeans. 
The  Eskimos,  on  the  other  hand,  have  a  very  short  intestine. 
The  meat-eaters  among  animals  have  a  very  short  and  muscu- 
lar intestine,  in  order  to  be  able  to  propel  the  feces  onward 
and  to  eject  them,  since  they  are  not  of  a  nature  to  excite  of 
themselves  any  great  movement  in  the  intestine.  In  the  her- 
bivorous animals  this  condition  is  not  necessary. 

A  similar  state  of  adaptation  to  the  physiological  processes 
may  be  observed  during  the  digestion,  in  particular  in  the  fact 
that  the  gastric  juice  is  secreted  in  different  ways  according  to 
the  quality  of  the  food.    When  meat  is  eaten,  for  instance,  the 

1  Cited  from  Madinavetia,  "Physiologia  Pathologica  de  la  Digestion," 
Madrid,  1910. 


30  Health   Tlirough  Rational  Diet. 

stomach  secretes  hydrochloric  acid  in  considerable  amount,  in 
order  that  the  connective  tissue  may  be  readily  dissolved. 
When  bread  is  eaten  a  large  quantity  of  pepsin  is  secreted, 
since,  as  we  have  learned  through  the  experiments  of  Pawlow, 
bread  requires  five  times  as  much  pepsin  as  the  albumin  of 
milk,  for  instance.  Bread  thus  makes  great  demands  upon  the 
gastric  digestion,  and  black  bread,  furthermore,  imposes  the 
same  requirements  during  the  process  of  intestinal  digestion. 
Milk,  however,  makes  the  least  demands  of  any  food  substance, 
especially  certain  kinds  of  milk  in  which  the  caseous  matter  is 
precipitated  in  a  more  finely  divided  state,  or  where,  as  in 
kefir,  it  has  been  partially  digested  through  the  action  of 
bacteria. 

Food  substances  having  a  very  pleasant  taste  may  stimu- 
late the  secretion  of  the  gastric  juice  merely  by  their  appear- 
ance and  sometimes,  even,  by  simply  being  called  to  mind. 
When  a  dog  is  shown  a  sausage,  a  secretion  of  saliva  may  often 
be  observed ;  in  addition  to  this,  however,  large  quantities  of 
gastric  juice  are  also  secreted,  but  only  after  about  five  minutes. 
These  secreted  juices  are  ready  to  receive  and  to  digest  the 
food  about  to  be  taken.  They  are  actually  in  waiting  for  it, 
and  when  the  food  is  received  it  still  further  stimulates  by  its 
presence  the  secretion  of  these  juices.  When  a  roll  with  dry, 
brown  crust  is  taken,  the  crust  must  be  well  masticated,  the 
chewing  further  exciting  the  secretion  of  saliva.  The  saliva 
has  for  its  object  to  assist  the  descent  of  the  food  through  the 
alimentary  canal,  and  after  a  large  amount  of  saliva  has  been 
thrown  out  the  food  slips  down  all  the  more  easily.  The  drier 
and  harder  the  food  substance  is,  the  more  saliva  will  be  re- 
quired, and  nature  has  provided  for  this,  for  the  saliva  under- 
goes variations  in  accordance  with  the  nature  of  the  food, 
becoming  more  or  less  fluid,  or  of  a  viscid  quality.  The  only 
requirement  is  that  man  should  do  his  part,  and  thoroughly 
masticate  hard  and  dry  articles  of  food.    The  hard,  dry  crust 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  31 

of  a  roll  is  more  easily  digested  than  the  soft  interior  portion — 
leaving  aside  the  fact  that  its  starch  has  been  rendered  rather 
more  digestible  during  the  process  of  baking — because  it  is 
much  more  carefully  masticated,  and  because  a  great  deal  of 
saliva  is  secreted  during  the  process.  The  saliva  is  here  of 
especial  importance,  since  the  ferment  it  contains,  the  ptyalin, 
plays  a  notable  role  in  the  digestion  of  starchy  foods,  convert- 
ing, as  it  does,  the  starch  into  sugar,  which  is  the  only  form  in 
which  starch  is  taken  up  and  used  in  the  body.  All  starch  must 
be  first  turned  into  sugar,  for  only  in  this  way,  in  the  form  of 
glycogen,  can  it  be  carried  to  the  liver  and  there  stored  up. 

The  saliva  also  has  another  important  function :  it  acts  as 
an  antiseptic  upon  many  injurious  substances  which  are  taken 
into  the  mouths  with  our  food.  We  can  best  observe  in  dogs 
that  this  is  really  the  case.  When  a  dog  has  a  wound,  he  is 
constantly  licking  it.  In  the  laboratories  where  I  have  been 
working,  I  have  often  observed  that  dogs  lick  the  wounds  after 
operations,  and,  as  good  comrades,  they  even  perform  this 
function  the  one  for  the  other.  Such  wounds  never  become 
infected ;  severe  wounds,  such  as  those  caused  by  the  removal 
of  the  entire  thyroid  gland,  healed  without  infection  in  a  very 
short  time.  When  dogs  are  prevented  from  licking  their 
wounds,  or  when,  on  account  of  the  situation  of  the  latter,  the 
dogs  cannot  reach  them,  they  very  readily  become  infected. 

The  stomach  is  protected  against  poisoning  to  an  even 
greater  degree  by  the  hydrochloric  acid.  We  very  frequently 
ingest,  especially  while  traveling  and  the  temporary  guests  of 
unscrupulous  landlords,  a  number  of  quite  injurious  substances 
in  foodstuffs  which  are  not  fresh  and  have  deteriorated.  This 
can  be  observed  in  a  marked  degree  in  animals  that  have  no 
careful  guardians  watching  over  them,  and  must  take  their 
nourishment  wherever  they  can  find  it.  Now,  if  these  decom- 
posed food  substances  do  not  hurt  the  animals,  and  if  we  are 
not  harmed  by  game,  etc.,  which  already  has  a  decidedly  pro- 


32  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

nounced  odor,  it  is  because  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  contained 
in  the  stomach.  We  can  easily  convince  ourselves  of  this  fact 
by  simple  experiments.  If  we  place  some  pieces  of  meat  in  a 
4  or  5  per  cent,  solution  of  hydrochloric  acid,  about  as  it  is  in 
the  stomach,  they  can  remain  there  for  some  days  at  room 
temperature  or  can  even  be  kept  for  a  week  or  longer,  without 
there  being-  the  slightest  odor  of  decomposition.  Decayed  meat 
loses  its  odor  after  having  been  for  a  time  in  such  a  solution. 

This  property  of  the  gastric  juice  may  be  lost  in  certain 
diseased  conditions  of  the  stomach.  When,  in  addition,  the 
motility  of  the  stomach  is  seriously  diminished  and  the  food 
substances  lie  in  the  stomach  for  a  long  time,  very  injurious 
decomposition  takes  place. 

A  sufficiently  acid  gastric  juice  may  prove  very  efficacious 
in  protecting  us  against  certain  epidemics,  e.g.,  of  cholera,  by 
counteracting  the  causal  factor  of  the  same.  Of  course,  the 
cholera  germs  are  only  then  destroyed  when  the  food  in  which 
they  are  contained  excites  the  secretion  of  stomach  acids. 
When  a  little  fruit  containing  these  micro-organisms,  or  a 
glass  of  infected  water,  has  been  taken,  either  of  which  will 
excite  only  a  very  slight  secretion  of  acid,  no  active  protection 
can  be  expected :  a  sufficient  quantity  of  meat  would  have  to  be 
taken  at  the  same  time.  When  there  is  danger  of  cholera  un- 
cooked foods  should  never  be  taken  upon  an  empty  stomach. 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  property,  the  acid  of 
the  gastric  juice  also  possesses  another  very  important  one, 
namely,  that  of  making  the  digestion  of  food  possible.  This 
duty,  however,  seems  to  be  less  important  than  the  first  men- 
tioned, for  when  the  stomach  fails  the  digestion  can  be  accom- 
plished by  the  intestine.  But  should  the  stomach  acid  fail, 
then  both  animals  and  man  would  be  in  constant  danger  of 
being  poisoned  by  an  unsuitable  food  substance.  For  the 
digestion  itself,  the  acid  is  indispensable,  for  it  alone  is  capable 
of  causing  the  pepsin  in  the  gastric  juice  to   dissolve  the 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  33 

albumin.  Pepsin  is  not  given  off  as  such  by  the  main  cells  of 
the  stomach  glands,  but  rather  in  a  preliminary  form,  as  pep- 
sinogen, and  it  is  then  converted  into  pepsin  by  the  hydro- 
chloric acid  of  the  surrounding  cells.  Gastric  digestion  can 
only  be  performed  by  the  combination  of  the  two.  The 
hydrochloric  acid  alone  might  perhaps  exert  a  softening  action 
upon  the  albumin,  e.g.,  upon  fibrin ;  it  can  also  dissolve  the 
connective  tissue  of  the  meat-fibers  and  the  cellulose  of  vege- 
tables, but  it  is  only  in  association  with  pepsin  that  it  can  dis- 
solve the  albuminous  substances,  such  as  meat  or  hard-boiled 
eggs,  and  convert  them  into  peptone,  in  which  form  the 
albumin  is  taken  up  in  the  body.  About  25  to  35  per  cent,  of 
the  albuminous  substances  which  are  peptonized  in  the  stomach 
may  be  absorbed  by  the  stomach.  All  the  rest  goes  into  the 
intestine,  and  there  the  peptone  is  very  quickly  converted  into 
the  amino-acids  by  a  ferment,  erepsin,  discovered  by  Cohnheim, 
which  is  present  in  the  small  intestine  in  the  pyloric  region,  as 
well  as  for  a  short  distance  lower  down. 

With  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  the  peptones,  only  a 
very  few  foodstuffs  are  absorbed  by  the  stomach.  Alcohol 
is  one  of  those  which  are,  and  sugar  is  also  taken  up  in  small 
quantities.  Water  is  not  absorbed  by  the  stomach,  but  after 
remaining  there  for  a  time  passes  into  the  intestine.  Very 
often  a  pint  of  water  may  remain  in  the  stomach  for  half  an 
hour.  When  the  stomach  is  diseased,  and  the  peristaltic  action 
is  greatly  diminished,  water  may  remain  in  it  for  a  very  long 
time,  sometimes  two  to  three  hours.  In  such  cases  one  can 
hear,  upon  percussion  of  the  stomach,  a  "splashing"  of  the 
water  for  quite  a  long  time  after  it  has  been  taken.  Jaworski 
has  shown  that,  as  a  rule,  hot  water  disappears  from  the 
stomach  much  more  rapidly  than  cold  water. 

The  temperature  of  liquid  nourishment,  in  general,  and 
of  water  or  soup,  is  not  without  importance  for  the  stomach, 
and  in  many  persons  much  harm  may  be  done  by  either  very 


34  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

cold  or  very  hot  drinks.  Boas  states  that  many  stomach 
troubles  are  caused  by  the  habitual  use  of  either  very  hot  or 
very  cold  drinks.  Among  Americans,  colic  occurs  very  fre- 
quently, and  this  may  perhaps  be  due  to  the  custom,  which  I 
have  myself  observed  during  frequent  visits  in  the  United 
States,  of  serving  water  with  pieces  of  ice  in  it  at  each  meal, 
even  during  the  winter. 

The  direct  action  of  the  food  substances  upon  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  stomach  is  also  of  importance  in  digestion. 
We  have  already  mentioned  above  that  the  sight  or  even  the 
thought  or  recollection  of  some  very  tasty  article  of  food  will 
induce  a  secretion  of  gastric  juice.  The  digestive  process  is 
thus  set  in  motion,  and  when  the  food  is  taken  it  is  at  once 
brought  in  contact  with  the  digestive  fluids.  The  food,  in  its 
turn,  acts  upon  the  mucous  membrane,  and  in  this  way  the 
process  of  digestion  is  continued.  The  action  of  different 
kinds  of  food  varies.  Among  the  most  stimulating  are  meat 
extracts,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  indicated  to  give  a  good  meat 
soup  to  persons  suffering  from  loss  of  appetite,  and  to  those 
in  whom  the  psychic  secretion  of  gastric  juice  is  diminished 
owing  to  a  depressed,  melancholic  condition.  Caviar  acts  in 
much  the  same  way. 

Alcohol  has  a  considerable  stimulating  effect  upon  the 
secretion  of  the  gastric  juice ;  a  diluted  alcohol,  however,  is 
most  efficacious.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  gastric  juice 
thus  secreted  contains  but  little  ferment,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
an  increased  amount  of  hydrochloric  acid.  Persons  suffering 
from  overacidity  of  the  stomach  would  do  much  better  not  to 
take  any  alcohol.  Very  strong  alcohol,  like  poisons  in  general, 
stimulates  the  secretion  of  the  gastric  mucus  as  a  sort  of  pro- 
tective measure ;  strong  spices,  aromatic  substances,  mustard, 
etc.,  also  act  in  this  way. 

In  certain  countries  it  is  the  custom  to  take  some  strong 
alcoholic  drink  just  before  meals;  in  France  the  "aperitif," 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  35 

containing  much  alcohol,  and  in  Sweden  and  Denmark 
"aqua  vitje"  are  thus  used.  According  to  the  statement  made 
above,  this  is  not  a  rational  procedure,  and  represents  a  sort  of 
"box  on  the  ear"  for  the  stomach,  which  is  really  only  irri- 
tated thereby.  Often  such  a  method  is  merely  the  final  resort 
to  renew  the  digestive  functions  in  those  who  have,  through 
gluttony,  lost  the  power  of  normal  stimulation  of  the  digestive 
process.  Meat  excites  the  secretion  of  the  gastric  juice,  which 
contains  much  acid ;  during  the  digestion  peptones  are  formed, 
and  these,  again,  further  assist  the  digestion  in  precisely  the 
same  way  as  does  Liebig's  extract.  For  the  digestion  of  bread 
an  excessive  secretion  of  acid  would  be  injurious,  since  the 
digestion  of  the  starches  would  be  thereby  arrested ;  conse- 
quently, with  a  bread  diet  the  stomach  secretes  a  great  deal  of 
pepsin,  but  very  little  acid.  To  be  sure,  an  equal  amount  of 
the  psychic  secretion  of  gastcic  juice  may  occur  with  bread  as 
with  meat,  but,  after  a  short  time,  the  flow  of  juice  excited  by 
the  bread  will  gradually  cease.  Meat  from  which  the  ex- 
tractive substances  have  been  removed  by  boiling  causes  but  a 
slight  secretion  of  juice. 

Water  and  also  milk  stimulate  the  secretion  of  gastric 
juice,  but  the  flow  induced  is  relatively  slight.  Through  the 
intermediary  of  the  pepsin  contained  in  the  stomach  the  casein 
is  precipitated;  the  fluid  portion  of  the  milk  passes  into  the 
intestine,  like  liquids  in  general,  and  the  albuminous  portion  is 
dissolved  in  from  two  to  three  hours.  White  of  Q.gg  excites 
only  a  very  slight  secretion  of  gastric  juice,  and  for  this  reason 
raw  eggs  are  not  easily  digested.  In  many  cases  hard-boiled 
eggs  are  better  digested. 

Stimulation  of  the  flow  of  gastric  juice  by  means  of  water 
may  be  useful  in  cases  where  the  psychic  secretion  does  not 
take  place  owing  to  a  depressed  mental  condition,  as  in  neu- 
rasthenia. It  is  also  to  be  observed  that  one  may  stimulate  a 
failing  appetite  by  the  aid  of  a  drink  of  water,  especially  of  a 


36  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

kind  containing  carbonic  acid,  as  do  many  mineral  waters. 
In  many  cases  alcoholic  drinks  exert  even  a  better  effect.  In 
soups,  not  only  the  meat  extractives  contained,  but  the  watery 
contents  as  well,  have  a  stimulating  effect  upon  the  secretion. 
One  may  thus  truly  say  "L'appetit  vient  en  mangeant" — The 
appetite  comes  as  we  eat. 

Since  starchy  foods  take  up  but  very  little  acid  in  the 
stomach,  their  digestion  being  thereby  interfered  with,  it  would 
be  rational  to  forbid  such  a  diet  (with  much  bread,  etc.)  in 
the  case  of  persons  suffering  from  overacidity  of  the  stomach. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  meat  in  the  diet  must  be  restricted  when 
the  stomach  does  not  secrete  any  acid,  as  is  the  case  in  many 
instances  of  chronic  catarrh  of  the  stomach.  A  meat  diet,  as 
already  stated,  requires  principally  hydrochloric  acid ;  when 
this  is  lacking,  a  diet  consisting  of  chiefly  macaroni,  rice,  sago, 
or  tapioca  should  be  advised.  These  substances,  even  in 
healthy  persons,  simply  pass  through  the  stomach,  and  are 
then  digested,  first  by  the  pancreas  and  afterward  the  intestine, 
and  finally  converted  into  sugar.  We,  therefore,  advise  this 
variety  of  diet  in  these  cases  in  order  to  spare  the  stomach  and 
leave  the  work  to  the  intestine. 

The  hydrochloric  acid  also  greatly  influences  the  length 
of  time  that  the  food  remains  in  the  stomach,  since  it  has  an 
especial  action  upon  gastric  peristalsis. 

The  transit  of  the  foodstuffs  from  the  stomach  into  the 
intestine  is  accomplished  through  the  movements  of  the  muscles 
of  the  stomach,  which,  in  a  way,  shake  and  stir  up  the  gastric 
contents.  When  the  food  partaken  of  during  a  meal  passes 
into  the  cavity  of  the  stomach,  the  fundus,  it  forms  an  agglom- 
erate mass.  Its  digestion  can  only  take  place  as  the  juices 
secreted  by  the  glands  of  the  stomach,  viz.,  the  hydrochloric 
acid  and  the  pepsin,  act  upon  it.  The  muscular  movements  of 
the  stomach  bring  about  the  contact  of  the  digestive  juices  with 
the  food.     When  this  has  lasted  for  a  certain  time,  and  the 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  2>7 

food  is  sufficiently  prepared,  it  is  pushed  toward  the  outlet, 
in  the  direction  of  the  pylorus.  In  the  pyloric  antrum  the 
movements  become  much  more  energetic;  the  food  is  here 
thoroughly  kneaded  and  compressed,  and  converted  into  a 
finely  divided,  pulpy  mass.  In  some  animals  which  feed  upon 
hard  grains,  e.g.,  turkeys,  the  musculature  of  the  stomach  is 
capable  of  exerting  pressure  sufficient  to  crack  nuts.  In  the 
feeding  process  of  mankind,  at  least  at  the  present  time,  such 
very  violent  action  is  no  longer  necessary,  but  sometimes  con- 
siderable work  is  still  required  of  the  stomach  in  order  to  com- 
press large  indigestible  masses,  which,  as  a  rule,  cannot  pass 
into  the  pylorus  if  they  are  at  all  larger  than  a  plum,  for  in- 
stance. If  too  large  they  are  pushed  back,  and  it  sometimes 
happens  that  several  attempts  have  to  be  made  before  some 
such  indigestible  mass  can  succeed  in  passing;  in  the  mean  time 
the  fluid  portions  of  the  food  have  already  been  discharged. 
^^'e  may  imagine  what  an  effort  is  required  of  the  stomach 
muscle  in  consequence  of  the  carelessness  of  hasty  eaters  and 
gormandizers !  The  importance  of  thoroughly  masticating  the 
food  thus  becomes  evident,  for  which,  of  course,  a  good  chew- 
ing apparatus  is  a  necessity. 

The  work  of  the  gastric  musculature,  as  above  described, 
is  greatly  assisted  by  the  hydrochloric  acid  contained  in  the 
stomach.  The  acid  excites  the  contractions  of  the  muscles, 
and  regulates  the  opening  of  the  pylorus :  when  there  is  a 
sufficient  amount  of  acid  the  muscles  bring  about  a  contraction 
of  the  region  of  the  pylorus,  the  opening  of  which  is  therefore 
closed.  The  food  can  then  be  sufficiently  digested,  whereas, 
if  the  pylorus  should  remain  open,  it  might  happen  that  the 
undigested  food  would  pass  through.  The  more  the  acid  pene- 
trates into  the  intestine,  the  longer  the  pylorus  remains  closed. 
It  is  necessary  that  the  acid  contents  passing  into  the  intestine 
be  first  neutralized  by  the  alkaline  fluids  of  the  latter,  for  other- 
wise the  very  important  function  of  intestinal  digestion,  which 


38  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

only  takes  place  in  an  alkaline  reaction,  would  be  interfered 
with.  When  the  acid  has  been  sufficiently  neutralized,  the 
pylorus  opens  and  allows  another  portion  of  the  stomach  con- 
tents to  pass  through.  Thus,  as  we  see,  this  work  is  accom- 
plished gradually,  which  has  the  advantage  that  the  various 
digestive  fluids  may  act  for  a  long  time.  When  there  is  a  large 
amount  of  hydrochloric  acid  in  the  stomach,  it  may  happen 
that  the  contractions  of  the  muscles  become  cramp-like.  In 
such  cases  a  fatty  diet  may  prove  beneficial.  The  fat,  indeed, 
acts  in  a  manner  opposite  to  the  hydrochloric  acid:  it  stops 
the  peptic  digestion  and  the  secretion  of  gastric  juice,  and 
exerts  an  inhibiting  influence  upon  the  musculature  of  the 
pyloric  region.  In  overacidity  of  the  stomach  it  is  desirable  to 
prescribe  fats,  and  these  best  in  the  form  of  unskimmed  milk 
or  cream,  as  recommended  by  H.  Strauss.  When  the  fat  is 
given  in  association  with  albumin,  as,  for  instance,  in  fat  pork 
or  goose-meat,  the  fat  exerts  a  restraining  influence  upon  the 
musculature,  while  the  albumin,  through  stimulation,  causes 
closure  of  the  pylorus,  so  that  the  food  remains  in  the  stomach 
for  a  longer  time,  as  we  will  show  later  in  a  table  showing  the 
periods  required  for  the  digestion  of  various  foods. 

In  addition  to  the  above-described  functions  of  the  hydro- 
chloric acid  another  very  important  one  must  be  added,  viz., 
the  influence  of  the  acid  upon  the  digestive  processes  taking 
place  in  the  intestine. 

When  the  hydrochloric  acid  passes  into  the  intestine  with 
the  food  from  the  stomach,  it  comes  into  contact  with  the 
epithelium  of  the  glands  situated  in  the  mucous  membrane  of 
the  intestine.  Here  it  acts  upon  a  substance  called  prosecretin, 
discovered  by  Bayliss  and  Starling,  and  transforms  it  into 
secretin.  This,  again,  either  through  the  agency  of  the  cir- 
culation by  which  it  is  carried  to  the  pancreas  or  through  the 
nerves,  acts  upon  this  gland,  causing  the  secretion  of  its  juice. 
The  latter  only  acquires  its  proper  activity  when  the  hydro- 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  39 

chloric  acid  has  reacted  upon  a  substance,  discovered  by  Paw- 
low,  contained  in  the  intestinal  mucous  membrane,  namely, 
prokinase,  and  has  transformed  it  into  the  active  ferment, 
kinase.  Without  this  substance  the  pancreatic  juice  has  no 
influence  whatever  upon  the  albumins ;  as  soon,  however,  as  it 
comes  in  contact  with  the  latter,  digestion  takes  place  very 
rapidly.  Ferments,  in  general,  are  peculiar  in  that  they  have 
the  power  to  cause  rapid  chemical  changes,  and  that  a  minimum 
portion  of  ferment  is  sufficient  to  effect  such  changes  in  large 
quantities  of  other  substances.  Through  the  activity  of  the 
kinase  the  primary  representative  of  a  substance  contained  in 
the  pancreatic  juice,  protrypsin,  is  transformed  into  the  active 
substance,  trypsin,  which  then  carries  on  the  digestion  of 
albumins  to  its  end-products,  the  amino-acids. 

A  very  active  ferment  of  this  variety,  which  digests  the 
peptones  formed  in  the  stomach  further  until  they  become 
amino-acids,  exists  in  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  duodenum 
and  the  upper  intestine — it  is  also  found  in  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  the  pyloric  region.  It  was  discovered  by  Cohnheim, 
and  was  named  by  him  erepsin. 

In  addition  to  the  trypsin,  two  other  important  ferments 
are  contained  in  the  juice  secreted  by  the  pancreas :  pancreatin 
or  amylopsin,  which  converts  the  carbohydrates  into  maltose, 
and  also  a  small  portion  into  sugar, — and  steapsin,  which,  how- 
ever, is  only  rendered  active  by  the  acids  contained  in  the  bile 
and  then  proceeds  to  digest  the  fats.  Fats  in  their  usual  form 
cannot  be  incorporated  in  the  fluids  of  the  body ;  they  must  first 
become  liquid,  when  not  naturally  so.  The  solid  fat,  e.g.,  that 
found  in  the  muscular  fibers,  must  first  be  fluidified — it  must 
melt,  and,  the  lower  the  melting  point  is,  the  more  readily  the 
fat  can  be  made  use  of.  Fats  which  already  contain  fluid  oils, 
such  as  olive  oil  and  other  vegetable  oils,  are  easily  digested, 
as  is  also  butter,  which  easily  becomes  fluid.  On  the  contrary, 
fats  such  as  lamb-fat,  which  only  melts  at  a  temperature  ex- 


40  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

ceeding  50°  C,  are  digested  with  difficulty.  In  fact,  all  fats 
the  melting  point  of  which  is  above  40°  C.  are  hard  to  digest. 

Even  when  the  fat  has  been  melted  and  is  fluid,  it  cannot 
yet  be  digested,  since  it  is  not  soluble  in  water.  It  must  first 
be  rendered  soluble,  and  this  is  accomplished  solely  by  the 
steapsin,  a  ferment  of  the  pancreas.  This  ferment  splits  the 
fat  into  glycerin  and  fatty  acids.  The  glycerin  is  soluble,  and 
the  fatty  acid  is  converted  into  soapy  substances  by  the  salts 
contained  in  the  bile,  together  with  the  alkaline  compounds  of 
the  intestine — among  which  is  a  certain  amount  of  sodium 
carbonate.  These  soaps  alone  are  soluble.  After  the  com- 
ponent parts  of  the  fat  have  been  absorbed  by  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  intestines,  it  is  again  built  up  from  these  same 
constituents,  and  becomes  the  body-fat  of  man  or  of  animals. 

The  co-operation  of  the  bile  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
absorption  of  the  fats.  When  the  former  is  absent,  as,  for 
instance,  when  the  orifice  of  the  bile-duct  is  occluded  by  gall- 
stones (jaundice  thereby  also  resulting),  the  greater  part  of  the 
fat  remains  in  the  intestine  without  being  absorbed.  Such 
patients  must  not  be  allowed  to  take  any  fats.  According  to 
the  experiments  of  Brugsch,^  40  per  cent,  of  the  fat  is  found 
in  the  feces  when  the  flow  of  bile  is  obstructed.  When,  in  addi- 
tion, the  action  of  the  pancreas  is  also  interfered  with  by  a 
pathological  condition,  which  usually  occurs  after  long-con- 
tinued gall-stone  disease,  the  loss  of  fat  may  amount  to  60 
per  cent.  In  one  case,  cited  by  Umber  in  his  textbook,^  in 
which  there  was  no  outflow  of  bile  or  pancreatic  juice  what- 
soever, only  a  minimal  quantity — 10  per  cent. — of  the  fat  was 
absorbed. 

Having  explained  the  action  of  the  three  ferments  which 
originate  in  the  pancreatic  gland,  I  would  like  also  to  mention 


1  Zeitschrift  fiir  klin.  Medizin,  1906. 

2 Umber:  "Textbook  on  Nutrition  and  the  Diseases  of  Metabolism,' 
1909,  p.  38. 


The  Inifuence  of  Food  upon  Man.  41 

that  the  various  forms  of  nourishment  act  in  different  ways 
upon  the  secretion  of  the  pancreatic  fluids.  Water,  for  in- 
stance, has  an  influence,  even  though  rather  a  shght  one,  upon 
the  secretion  of  the  pancreatic  fluid. 

As  Pawlow  has  shown,  the  pancreatic  fluid  contains  a 
large  amount  of  those  ferments  which  are  most  required  by 
and  correspond  with  the  food  which  has  been  taken.  When, 
for  instance,  an  animal  lives  exclusively  upon  meat  and  fat,  the 
pancreatic  ferment  which  converts  the  carbohydrates — amy- 
lopsin — will  be  lacking,  and  I  question  whether  a  similar  con- 
dition does  not  exist  in  diabetics,  who  frequently  live,  in  an 
irrational  manner,  upon  meat  and  fats  alone,  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  carbohydrates. 

The  secretion  of  the  bile  is  also  greatly  affected  by  the 
nature  of  the  food.  A  meat  diet  causes  a  considerable  flow  of 
bile,  as  do  also  fats;  consequently,  fat  in  large  quantity,  olive 
oil  for  instance,  is  given  in  disease  of  the  gall-bladder  with 
impacted  gall-stones  and  in  attacks  of  colic. 

The  presence  of  the  bile  in  the  intestine  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  for  the  digestion,  since  it  not  only  activates  the 
fat-splitting  ferment,  but  causes  the  two  other  ferments  of  the 
pancreatic  gland  to  act  more  quickly  and  powerfully.  The  bile 
also  exerts  an  influence  upon  the  propulsion  of  the  contents  of 
the  intestine,  and  its  absence  is  generally  followed  by  con- 
stipation. The  intestine,  of  course,  also  has  a  movement  proper 
to  itself.  By  wave-like  contractions,  such  as  we  see  in  earth- 
worms, it  pushes  the  contents  downward  toward  the  external 
orifice.  In  this  manner,  the  ferments  of  the  fluids  secreted  by 
the  intestinal  glands  are  enabled  to  exert  their  full  activity, 
especially  the  maltase,  which  completes  the  conversion  of  the 
starches  into  sugar.  The  saliva  and  the  secretion  of  the  pan- 
creatic gland  do  not  have  as  pronounced  an  effect  upon  the 
carbohydrates  as  the  intestinal  fluids:  they  only  convert  a 
small  portion  thereof  into  sugar,  while  the  rest  forms  dextrin 


42 


and  maltose ;  the  maltase  thereupon  acts  on  the  latter  and  trans- 
forms them  into  grape-sugar  (dextrose).  It  is  this  substance 
alone  which  is  capable  of  being  taken  up  into  the  system  to  be 
stored  in  the  liver  in  the  form  of  glycogen.  The  starches  and 
their  colloid  intermediate  products  cannot  be  thus  taken  up. 
Cane-sugar  must  also  first  be  split  into  dextrose  and  levulose. 
This  is  accomplished  by  invertin,  a  ferment  present  in  the  in- 
testine. In  animals,  or  in  persons  living  upon  milk,  another 
ferment  is  found  in  the  intestinal  juice,  viz.,  lactase,  which 
converts  the  milk-sugar  into  galactose  and  dextrose  (grape- 
sugar). 

In  addition  to  these  ferments,  which  act  upon  the  carbo- 
hydrates, the  intestinal  juices  contain  another  ferment,  already 
mentioned,  erepsin,  which  acts  upon  the  albumin.  In  order  to 
bring  the  ferments  present  into  intimate  contact  with  the  con- 
tents of  the  intestine,  the  latter  performs  a  series  of  pendulum- 
like movements. 

Various  kinds  of  food  exert  special  influences  upon  the 
movements  of  the  intestine.  Fatty  foods,  for  instance,  arrest 
the  gastric  and  intestinal  movements.  Very  large  quantities 
of  fat,  however,  have  a  rather  irritating  effect,  like  castor  oil. 
A  diet  of  lean  meat  only  slightly  excites  the  movements  of  the 
intestines,  so  that  the  contents  move  forward  less  rapidly,  and 
during  this  time  can  be  well  absorbed.  When  the  contents,  on 
the  other  hand,  include  a  large  amount  of  residue,  as  in  a 
vegetable  diet,  too  great  an  irritating  action  is  exerted  upon 
the  intestinal  mucous  membrane,  and  the  intestine  is  too 
rapidly  freed  of  its  contents.  When  this  is  the  case  the  food, 
naturally,  cannot  be  well  assimilated,  and  the  principal  function 
of  the  intestine,  that  of  absorbing  the  food  substances  and 
rendering  them  available  for  the  benefit  of  the  system,  is  not 
carried  out. 

The  question  of  the  assimilation  of  food  in  the  intestine 
is  a  very  important  one,  and  will  be  taken  up  later.     I  shall 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  43 

simply  mention  here  that  when  the  food  has  not  been  suffi- 
ciently cooked,  is  insufficiently  masticated,  and  insufficiently 
digested  by  the  gastric  juice  the  intestine  must  alone  perform 
what  has  been  left  unaccomplished.  It  may  then  readily  hap- 
pen that  a  portion  of  the  food  which  should  be  absorbed  is  lost. 

The  development  of  local  diseases  is  also  greatly  favored 
when  the  intestine  is  continually  required  to  perform  such 
excessive  work.  Then,  too,  the  food  itself  is  not  always  in 
perfect  condition  when  taken  {e.g.,  unripe  fruit). 

When  we  speak  of  an  easily  digested  food  we  must  differ- 
entiate between  digestibility  in  the  stomach  and  digestibility  in 
the  intestine.  Calves'  brains,  for  instance,  are  readily  digested 
in  the  stomach,  whereas  in  the  intestine  43  per  cent,  thereof, 
which  cannot  be  digested,  is  lost,  as  has  been  shown  by  Rubner. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  hard-boiled  tgg  is  less  perfectly  digested 
by  the  stomach  than  by  the  intestine ;  the  latter  succeeds  much 
better  with  the  hard  tgg  than  the  stomach.  Many  food  sub- 
stances are  digested  with  difficulty  both  by  the  stomach  and 
the  intestines,  e.g.,  the  leguminous  vegetables.  In  these,  the 
outer  husk,  the  celluose,  covers  the  nutritious  elements,  the 
starch  and  the  albumins,  contained  in  the  cells,  and  prevents 
their  digestion.  It  may  therefore  happen  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  albumin  as  well  as  of  the  starchy  contents  of 
such  vegetables  is  lost.  In  other  vegetables  again,  quite  a  large 
part  of  the  proteid  and  starchy  contents,  as  well  as  of  the 
nutritive  salts,  may  be  lost  owing  to  imperfect  digestion  of  the 
cellulose,  and  also  because,  as  we  have  already  mentioned,  they 
give  rise,  by  virtue  of  their  cellulose  content,  to  increased 
activity  of  the  intestinal  movements.  It  would  seem  to  me 
that  the  disciples  of  vegetarianism,  in  judging  of  the  nutritive 
value  of  their  diet,  do  not  give  sufficient  consideration  to  the 
assimilative  capacity  of  the  intestine. 

With  a  vegetable  diet,  much,  if  not  all,  depends  upon  the 
capacity  for  digesting  cellulose.     Animals  are  much  better  off 


44  Health  Through  Rational  Diet 

in  this  respect  than  we  are,  since  they  have  a  specially  adapted 
ferment,  zylase,  in  their  very  large  cecum.  This  ferment  is 
absent  in  man,  and  is  replaced  by  the  intestinal  bacteria,  the 
various  fermentative  fungi  we  take  in  with  the  air  ingested 
while  eating  and  drinking,  and  in  the  food  itself.  These  organ- 
isms act  upon  the  cellulose  in  such  wise  that  about  30  per  cent, 
of  it  becomes  soluble.  Cellulose  in  general  does  not  furnish 
any  considerable  amount  of  nourishment  to  us ;  yet,  a  portion 
of  it  may  be  assimilated.  Through  the  action  of  the  bacteria, 
not  only  are  the  useful  nutritious  substances  inclosed  in  the 
cellulose  set  free,  but  also  small  amounts  of  fatty  acids  are 
formed  by  cleavage  of  the  cellulose,  such  as  acetic  acid,  butyric 
acid,  etc.,  which  also  represent  a  certain  nutritive  value. 
Together  with  these,  gases  are  formed.  While  an  excessive 
quantity  of  gas  is  of  no  advantage,  yet  it  exercises  a  stimulating 
effect  upon  the  intestinal  movements  and  favors  the  evacuation 
of  the  contents. 

The  bacteria  of  the  intestine,  however,  also  exert  their 
decomposing  action  upon  the  albumin,  and,  in  fact,  upon  any 
constituents  of  the  food  which  have  escaped  digestion  by  the 
gastric  and  intestinal  juices.  When  a  person  has  ingested  a 
large  quantity  of  meat,  it  may  happen  that  a  portion  of  it  will 
reach  the  large  intestine  still  undigested,  and  here  the  bacterial 
action  will  very  decidedly  come  into  play.  The  body,  however, 
cannot  derive  any  nutritive  benefit  from  the  action  of  the 
decomposing  bacteria  upon  the  albumin  in  the  large  intestine, 
for,  even  though  the  resulting  products  may  be  absorbed,  they 
are  not  assimilated  in  the  same  manner  as  other  albuminoid 
nutrients,  but,  on  the  contrary,  may  exert  an  injurious  and  even 
poisonous  action.  Indeed,  the  general  symptoms  occurring 
after  long-continued  constipation,  such  as  headache,  nausea, 
mental  depression,  loss  of  appetite,  etc.,  may  be  referred  to  the 
absorption  of  such  poisonous  products.  The  decomposition  of 
albumins  is  greatest  when  the  food  remains  a  long  time  in  the 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  45 

intestine,  as  is  the  case  in  constipation.  It  may  be  diminished 
by  laxative  mineral  waters,  since  these  shorten  the  time  during 
which  the  food  substances  remain.  The  lactic  acid  bacilli  act 
in  the  same  way ;  they  ferment  the  sugar  contained  in  the  foods 
and  carbohydrates,  form  lactic  acid,  and  disinfect  and  destroy 
the  bacteria  of  decomposition.  Any  food  rich  in  milk  or  sour- 
milk  products,  such  as  jogurt,  kefir,  etc.,  will  restrict  the 
processes  of  decomposition  in  the  large  intestine.  According 
to  Winternitz,  decomposition  may  be  entirely  or  almost  entirely 
prevented  by  a  milk  diet. 

During  their  progress  through  the  intestine,  all  the  fluids 
and  other  portions  of  the  food  which  are  capable  of  being  ab- 
sorbed are  taken  up,  and,  the  farther  the  mass  progresses  down- 
ward, the  more  its  liquid  constituents  are  given  off,  until  only 
the  dry  feces  remain.  The  longer  the  feces  remain  in  the  intes- 
tine, the  harder  they  become.  When  the  diet  consists  princi- 
pally of  meat,  the  feces  tend  to  be  dry,  but  with  more  carbohy- 
drates, especially  in  the  form  of  sweets,  they  are  more  liquid. 
The  carbohydrates  cause  fermentative  changes  which  exert  a 
stimulating  effect  upon  the  intestine,  and  cause  the  evacuation 
of  the  feces  before  they  have  had  time  to  lose  their  fluidity. 
The  result  of  this  is,  however,  that  the  food  substances  are 
incompletely  absorbed.  While  such  starchy  masses  may  induce 
diarrhea  because  of  the  fermentative  processes,  the  dry  condi- 
tion of  the  stools  produced  by  a  meat  diet  may,  on  the  other 
hand,  cause  constipation. 

When  there  is  too  great  a  quantity  of  starch,  a  portion  is 
usually  found  undigested  in  the  stools.  A  diet  containing  a 
moderate  quantity  of  starchy  flour  is  best  assimilated  in  the 
intestine,  especially  in  the  form  of  sugar,  so  that  no  trace  of  it 
is  found  in  the  feces. 

The  feces,  in  addition  to  the  residue  of  the  food,  consist 
largely  of  the  secretions  of  the  intestines  and  of  bacteria. 
Portions  of  the  food  may  also  be  found,  such  as  pieces  of  meat 


46  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

which  have  not  been  sufficiently  masticated,  elastic  fibers, 
gristle,  tissues,  cells,  and  likewise  the  undigested  husks  of  the 
cereals,  which  still  contain  albumin  or  starch  granules,  which, 
owing  to  insufficient  cooking  or  faulty  digestion,  have  remained 
intact.  Certain  food  substances  sometimes  pass  through  the 
intestinal  canal  completely  undigested.  Only  recently  I  found 
in  the  stools  of  a  little  girl  of  6  years  peas  which  had  been  eaten 
five  days  before,  and  had  remained  in  their  original  form, 
entirely  undigested,  after  an  attack  of  colic  and  diarrhea. 
They  had  been  swallowed  unmasticated.  Children  should 
therefore  never  be  given  such  indigestible  foods  unless  the 
latter  have  been  previously  mashed  up,  as  they  have  not  yet 
acquired  the  habit  of  proper  mastication.  Children,  and  often 
hysterical  or  mentally  affected  adults,  often  swallow  much  more 
indigestible  substances,  and  occasionally  pointed  objects,  such 
as  needles,  without  causing  any  injury  to  the  intestines. 
Madinaveitia^  lately  found  in  the  stools  of  a  woman  a  needle 
which  had  been  swallowed  some  little  time  before,  and  had  not 
given  rise  to  any  trouble.  That  such  things  are  possible  has, 
moreover,  been  shown  by  the  experiments  of  Exner.  He 
caused  dogs  to  swallow  needles  and  other  pointed  objects,  all 
of  which  were  afterward  found  in  the  stools.  Exner  showed 
that  the  presence  of  such  objects  caused  a  change  in  the  shape 
of  the  intestine,  which  expanded  to  form  a  cavity  in  front  of 
them,  thus,  one  might  almost  say,  running  away  from  them. 
It  would  seem,  consequently,  that  the  throat  and  upper  portion 
of  the  alimentary  canal  are  more  often  injured  than  the  intes- 
tines themselves  after  the  swallowing  of  such  foreign  bodies. 

As  soon  as  the  feces  in  their  progress  toward  the  external 
orifice  have  reached  the  colon,  they  exert  pressure  and  irrita- 
tion thereon,  causing  contraction  of  the  gut  and  expulsion. 
This  is  a  usual  occurrence  in  persons  who  are  normal,  but  there 
are  many,  especially  young  girls,  who  do  not  at  once  respond 

1  Madinaveitia  :  Loc.  cit. 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man  47 

to  this  call  of  nature,  thus  causing  the  feces  to  remain  a  long 
time  in  the  colon.  The  continuation  of  such  a  practice  may 
induce  such  an  habituation  on  the  part  of  the  bowel  to  its  con- 
tents that  their  stimulating  influence  is  lost.  Obstinate  con- 
stipation then  results.  This  is  most  frequently  found  in 
women,  as  a  consequence  of  this  pernicious  habit,  and  they  are 
then  obliged  to  resort  to  daily  injections.  I  very  frequently 
meet  with  such  cases  in  my  practice,  especially  among  my 
French  and  American  patients.  Without  their  "enemas"  these 
ladies  never  have  a  passage,  unless  they  have  been  cured  by  a 
special  treatment.  It  is  therefore  advisable  that  the  call  to 
void  the  stools  be  instantly  followed  whenever  possible.  When 
the  intestine  has  lost  the  habit  of  responding  to  slight  stimuli 
it  becomes  necessary  to  resort  to  very  strong  ones,  in  order  to 
whip  it  up,  as  it  were ;  this  is  generally  accomplished  by  resort- 
ing to  injurious  evacuants,  which  must  then  be  constantly  used. 

Before  closing  this  very  important  chapter,  I  would  call 
attention  to  the  decided  influence  of  the  condition  of  the  mind 
upon  the  digestion. 

In  the  process  of  digestion  the  mental  state  is  of  great 
importance.  As  with  all  the  functions  of  the  body,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  enter  into  it  heartily,  i.e.,  help  it  along;  otherwise,  it 
will  be  interfered  with.  This  is  especially  well  shown  by 
Pawlow's  experiments  on  dogs.  A  lively,  hungry  dog,  which 
gives  its  entire  attention  to  its  meal,  entering  into  it  body  and 
soul,  secretes  large  quantities  of  gastric  juice,  while  a  dog  the 
attention  of  which  is  diverted,  and  which  plays  about  while 
eating,  will  produce  but  little  of  it.  The  same  thing  occurs  in 
man ;  children  should,  therefore,  be  strictly  forbidden  to  play 
while  eating — in  fact,  they  should  not  be  at  all  disturbed 
during  this  time.  For,  as  has  been  shown  by  Pawlow's  experi- 
ments on  animals,  it  is  not  only  upon  the  gastric  digestion  that 
such  disturbances  act  unfavorably,  but  also  upon  the  digestion 
which  takes  place  in  the  intestines,  and  the  propulsion  of  the 


48  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

food  therein.  In  man  one  may  observe  the  same  effect, 
and  the  satisfying  of  such  an  imperative  demand  as  that  of 
hunger  should  be  accorded  the  full  attention,  if  injurious 
results  are  to  be  avoided. 

5.  The  In^uence  of  Food  upon  Other  Important  Organs. 

After  the  food  has  been  prepared  and  taken  up  by  the 
blood,  as  described  in  the  preceding  chapter,  it  is  carried  to 
the  liver  by  the  portal  vein.  Here  the  most  injurious  and 
poisonous  substances  are  destroyed  by  the  liver,  or  are  trans- 
formed into  innocuous  compounds.  Poisons  w^hich  have  not 
been  broken  up  by  the  action  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  can  be 
destroyed  by  the  liver,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  poisonous 
substances  which  would  cause  certain  death  if  absorbed  through 
the  skin  lose  their  effect  when  taken  into  the  stomach.  Thus, 
for  instance,  the  venom  of  many  snakes  which  causes  instant 
death  through  a  slight  wound  of  the  skin  is,  when  swallowed 
by  the  mouth,  quite  harmless.  The  liver  is  one  of  our  most 
powerful  detoxicating  organs,  and,  in  order  to  enable  it  to 
carry  out  this  function  successfully,  the  quality  of  the  food 
taken  is  of  importance ;  when  the  nourishment  is  insufficient, 
or  when  there  is  not  a  sufficient  quantity  of  albumin,  the  liver, 
as  the  experiments  of  Roger  and  Gamier  have  shown,  is  unable 
to  do  its  work.  The  poisons  combine  with  the  albuminoid 
bodies  of  the  liver,  and,  consequently,  animals  which  have  been 
given  large  quantities  of  albumin  are  much  better  protected 
against  poisoning  by  metals,  such  as  quicksilver,  by  arsenic, 
and  by  various  alkaloids  than  other  animals  not  so  treated. 
When  the  liver  has  been  kept  long  at  work  in  antagonizing 
poisons  such  as  alcohol,  tobacco,  etc.,  its  integrity  suffers. 
Inflammatory  processes  may  occur  in  this  very  important 
organ,  causing  the  loss  of  its  protective  tissues.    The  poisonous 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  49 

end-products  of  the  metabolism  of  albumins  are  themselves 
rendered  non-toxic  by  the  liver,  and  the  ammoniacal  com- 
pounds are  excreted  in  the  harmless  form  of  urea.  This  am- 
monia-detoxicating  function  of  the  liver  is  of  the  greatest 
importance  for  us.  In  severe  diseases  of  the  liver  it  is  naturally 
much  impaired,  and  it  then  becomes  advisable  to  refrain,  in  so 
far  as  possible,  from  a  diet  containing  albumin. 

In  addition  to  the  formation  of  urea,  the  liver  also  plays  a 
major  role  in  the  metabolism  of  the  carbohydrates.  As  we 
have  seen,  the  carbohydrates,  such  as  starch,  are  first  trans- 
formed into  grape-sugar.  This  is  then  carried  into  the  liver 
by  the  portal  vein,  and  the  sugar  is  there  stored  up  as  glycogen. 
Thus,  the  liver  forms  a  sort  of  preliminary  storehouse  for  the 
sugar  needed  by  the  organism.  The  glycogen  is  given  out  as 
it  is  required,  is  transformed  into  sugar  by  a  ferment  contained 
in  the  liver,  and  is,  as  such,  excreted  and  carried  into  the  tissues. 
Here  it  is  again  stored  up  in  the  muscles,  so  that  both  the  liver 
and  the  muscles  accumulate  the  sugar  in  the  form  of  glycogen. 
When  the  muscles  are  required  to  perform  any  sort  of  work, 
they  give  up  the  glycogen  for  this  purpose.  Muscular  work  is 
thus  carried  out  through  the  agency  of  the  carbohydrates. 
After  prolonged  and  fatiguing  labor,  the  liver  contains  only  a 
small  amount  of  glycogen,  as  it  gives  off  its  reserve  of  that 
substance  much  more  freely  than  the  muscles.  In  hunger  the 
same  thing  occurs.  It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  liver  forms 
the  glycogen  not  only  from  the  carbohydrates,  but  also  from 
the  albumins;  some  forms  of  albumin,  e.g.,  egg-albumin,  em- 
body molecules  of  carbohydrate.  The  liver  is  also  a  laboratory 
or  preparatory  room  for  the  fat  which  is  carried  to  it  with  the 
food  by  the  portal  vein.  When  sugar  is  not  burned  up  and  is 
not  voided  with  the  urine,  so  that  it  is  still  available  for  subse- 
quent use,  it  is  converted  into  fat,  and  this  process  is  likewise 
carried  out  by  the  liver. 


50  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Another  substance  of  great  importance  in  digestion  is 
formed  in  the  hver,  viz.,  the,  bile,  the  functions  of  which  we 
have  already  described. 

From  the  liver  the  substances  which  are  to  serve  as  food 
for  the  body  pass  with  the  blood  through  the  lower  vena  cava 
to  the  heart.  This  important  organ  is  also  influenced  by  the 
quality  and  quantity  of  the  food.  When,  for  instance,  large 
quantities  of  fluids  are  taken,  it  is  placed  under  greater  stress. 
When  such  excessive  amounts  of  fluid  are  carried  to  the  heart 
during  a  long  period,  they  may  cause  structural  changes,  such 
as  induration  of  the  musculature,  and  later  on  a  dilatation  of 
its  cavity,  such  as  we  see  in  the  so-called  "Munich  beer  heart." 
A  diet  too  rich  in  albumins  and  containing  a  considerable 
amount  of  extractives,  as  well  as  a  continued  rich  diet  in 
general,  may  also  affect  the  integrity  ol  the  heart.  For  the 
action  of  the  heart  muscles  as  well  as  for  the  muscles  in  general, 
a  carbohydrate  diet  is  the  best.  Alcohol  and  coffee  or  tea  in 
large  quantities  and  after  long-continued  use  may  also  exert  a 
very  injurious  influence  upon  the  heart. 

Such  errors  in  diet  are  very  harmful  to  the  blood-vessels. 
The  pressure  in  them  is  augmented,  and  when  a  high  blood- 
pressure  is  maintained  for  a  long  time  the  production  of  arterio- 
sclerosis is  greatly  favored.  The  decomposition  products 
resulting  from  a  diet  rich  in  albumins,  along  with  the  extract- 
ives simultaneously  contained  in  the  blood,  cause  very  serious 
results  after  their  action  on  the  vessels  has  persisted  for  some 
time.  According  to  Huchard,  Senator,  and  others,  arterio- 
sclerosis is  very  readily  produced  in  this  way,  and  many  cases 
are  certainly  due  to  an  injudicious  one-sided  diet. 

Overindulgence  in  coffee  and  tea  may  cause  a  change  in 
the  tonus  of  the  blood-vessels,  and  the  constant  dilatation  will 
cause  untoward  effects,  as  described  by  Romberg.  Tobacco, 
in  particular,  has  a  most  injurious  action  upon  the  walls  of  the 
blood-vessels,  and  a  great  many  cases  of  arteriosclerosis  are 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  51 

due  to  its  use.  Alcohol,  too,  when  continuously  and  consider- 
ably indulged  in,  is  harmful  to  the  blood-vessels.  Large  quan- 
tities of  fluid,  by  overloading  the  vascular  system,  are  most 
hurtful  to  the  organism. 

Food  exerts  a  marked  influence  upon  the  constitution  of 
the  blood  itself.  Excessive  amounts  of  fluid  may  cause  a 
dilution  of  the  blood  owing  to  the  absorption  of  the  water ;  this, 
however,  is  of  short  duration,  as  the  fluid  which  has  been  taken 
up  is  soon  excreted.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  conceivable  that, 
when  such  quantities  of  fluid  are  habitually  absorbed,  more 
permanent  dilution  of  the  blood,  and  a  watery  condition  of  the 
tissues,  may  result. 

With  too  dry  a  diet,  the  blood  may  becooie  inspissated. 
When  a  large  quantity  of  hot  tea  is  taken,  causing  excessive 
perspiration,  the  same  result  may  be  produced;  but  such  a 
thickening  of  the  blood  will  be  of  short  duration.  The  fluid 
contained  in  the  tissues  is  then  drawn  out,  a  condition  which 
is  also  observed  after  severe  hemorrhages. 

Dilution  of  the  blood  may  also  occur,  as  has  been  shown 
by  the  very  exact  experiments  of  Grawitz,  when  the  diet  is 
insufficient  and  too  poor  in  albumin.^ 

In  regard  to  the  effect  of  diet  upon  the  condition  and  the 
composition  of  the  blood,  we  here  see  manifested,  as  almost 
universally  in  the  nutrition  of  man  and  of  animals,  the  principle 
that  the  amount  of  the  individual  constituents  of  the  blood 
depends  in  large  measure  upon  the  quantity  of  such  substances 
ingested  in  the  food.  The  blood  contains  more  albumin  than 
it  does  carbohydrates  and  fat.  Many  nutritive  salts,  however, 
are  also  to  be  found  in  it ;  the  blood  of  pigs,  indeed,  is  especially 
rich  in  iron. 

The  albumin-content  of  the  blood  plays  a  very  important 
role,  and  when,  too  little  of  this  substance  is  carried  into  the 
blood  from  the  food  very  injurious  efifects  may  result.    As  we 

1  Grawitz :    "Pathologic  des  Blutes,"  S.  237. 


52  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

have  seen,  the  blood-serum  becomes  too  watery,  and  the  red 
corpuscles  are  also  impaired.  When  animals  are  fed  upon 
meat,  the  hemoglobin  content  is  increased  ;^  on  the  other  hand, 
Bischoff  and  Voit  found  that  by  placing  carnivorous  animals 
upon  a  bread  diet  the  blood  was  rendered  more  watery, 

Leichtenstern,  by  researches  carried  out  on  his  own  blood, 
showed  that  a  considerable  increase  of  the  hemoglobin  content 
of  the  blood  took  place  upon  a  plentiful  diet. 

While  an  insufficient  supply  of  albumin  is  prejudicial  to 
the  composition  of  the  blood,  an  overgenerous  supply,  on  the 
other  hand,  may  result  in  the  formation  of  considerable  quan- 
tities of  injurious  constituents,  such  as  uric  acid.  This  is  in- 
variably produced  in  large  amounts  with  a  generous  meat  diet, 
especially  one  rich  in  cell  nuclei,  i.e.,  consisting  of  the  gland- 
ular organs,  liver,  sweetbreads,  as  well  as  brains,  etc.  Not 
only  meat,  but  many  vegetables  as  well,  and  especially  the 
leguminous  varieties,  may  have  an  injurious  effect,  owing  to 
the  "purin  bases"  contained  in  them,  from  which  the  uric  acid 
is  formed.  Tea  and  coffee  have  the  same  effect.  We  shall 
later  refer  to  this  in  greater  detail,  and  present  a  table  of  the 
content  of  uric-acid-producing  substances  in  the  various  articles 
of  food. 

The  blood  also  contains  a  certain  quantity  of  sugar,  not 
usually  exceeding  o.i  per  cent.  When,  however,  an  excessive 
amount  of  sugar  is  taken  at  one  time  it  may  happen  that  the 
sugar  will  not  all  be  taken  up  by  the  liver,  and  the  excess  will 
then,  since  it  cannot  be  so  rapidly  consumed,  be  excreted  as  a 
foreign  body  by  the  kidneys. 

In  many  persons  this  may  occur  even  after  the  ingestion 
of  articles  of  food  rich  in  starch,  and  when  this  takes  place  very 
often  we  have  to  deal  with  diabetes  mellitus.  The  combustion 
of  sugar,  as  well  as  its  storing  up  in  the  liver,  is  regulated  by 
the  pancreas  through  the  agency  of  a  ferment  which  is  probably 

i  Verdeil  and  Subbotin :  Cited  by  Grawitz. 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  53 

secreted  by  an  epithelial  structure  of  the  islets  of  Langerhans 
present  in  the  pancreatic  tissue.  When  the  pancreas  is  re- 
moved, diabetes  is  certain  to  occur. 

The  food  also  exerts  a  great  influence  upon  the  circulation 
of  the  blood  in  the  vascular  system. 

The  friction  of  the  blood  during  its  passage  through  the 
lumen  of  the  blood-vessels  is  said  to  be  greatly  increased  by  a 
diet  rich  in  albumins  {i.e.,  meat),  as  shown  by  the  experiments 
of  Determann.    Alcohol,  tea,  etc.,  have  the  same  effect. 

Whether,  on  the  other  hand,  a  diet  rich  in  uric  acid  will 
impart  to  the  blood  a  viscid  consistency, — collemia, — as  claimed 
by  Haig,  has  not  yet  been  proven  experimentally. 

The  various  constituents  of  the  food  are  carried  to  the 
organs  of  the  body  by  the  blood,  and  the  products  of  their 
transformation,  such  as  urea,  together  with  various  poisonous 
and  injurious  substances  which  have  not  been  destroyed  by  the 
liver, -finally  reach  the  kidneys,  and  are*  here  eliminated  from 
the  blood.  Alcohol,  strong  spices,  etc.,  thus  exert  their  harm- 
ful influence  upon  the  lining  epithelia  of  the  urinary  canals,  a 
certain  portion  of  these  cells  being  naturally  lost,  as  is  shown 
by  the  presence  of  hyaline  casts  in  the  urine.  Indeed,  we 
should  ahvays  remember  that  everything  we  eat  must  pass 
through  the  kidneys,  and  may  there  prove  injurious.  Even  in 
the  process  of  excretion  of  the  wastes  from  our  ordinary  diet, 
particularly  an  albuminous  diet  when  it  contains  many  ex- 
tractive substances,  the  kidneys,  after  the  steady  work  of  many 
years,  may  suffer  injury.  A  meat  diet,  owing  to  the  nature 
of  the  end-products  formed,  imposes  heavier  work  upon  the 
kidneys  than  does  a  diet  of  vegetables  or  one  consisting  princi- 
pally of  milk; — much  more  urea  and  uric  acid  is  secreted  in 
the  former  case.  When  the  work  of  the  kidneys  is  not  fully 
performed,  the  excretion  of  uric  acid  is  accomplished  with 
difBculty,  and  gout  develops  easily. 


54  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

An  overgenerous  meat  diet  may  also  give  rise  to  diabetes, 
probably  through  its  influence  upon  the  thyroid  gland 
(Lorand).  The  thyroid  greatly  influences  the  metabolism  of 
sugar,  since,  as  I  have  shown,  sugar  is  oftenest  excreted  when 
the  thyroid  gland  is  overactive.  On  the  other  hand,  very  large 
quantities  of  sugar  may  be  taken  without  any  alimentary  excre- 
tion of  sugar  when  the  thyroid  gland  is  degenerated. 

The  excretion  of  sugar  resulting  from  overactivity  of  the 
thyroid  is  not  only  induced  by  large  quantities  of  sugar  or  very 
starchy  foods,  but  also  in  the  absence  of  carbohydrates  when  a 
meat  diet  is  taken.  When  there  is  an  abundance  of  thyroid 
secretion  it  causes  disintegration  of  the  albumin,  and  much 
more  sugar  may  be  formed  than  the  amount  corresponding  to 
the  carbohydrate  molecules  of  the  albumin ;  we  must  there- 
fore admit  the  presence  of  a  toxic  irritation  of  the  tissues. 
When  the  pancreas  is  active  this  sugar  excretion  may  only  be 
temporary,  but  when  it  is  incapacitated  by  disease  permanent 
diabetes  is  developed.  As  I  have  proven  experimentally,  there 
exists  a  kind  of  antagonism  between  the  thyroid  and  the  pan- 
creatic gland,  so  that  when  the  pancreas  is  removed  the  thyroid 
becomes  overactive;  when,  however,  the  thyroid  gland  is  ex- 
tirpated, the  pancreas  shows  an  increase  of  the  islets  of 
Langerhans,  which,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  probably 
regulate  the  consumption  of  sugar  in  our  bodies.  As  I  have 
previously  demonstrated,  diabetes  is  caused  by  one  of  two 
factors:  i.  Degeneration  of  the  pancreas.  2.  Overactivity 
of  the  thyroid  gland. 

The  excessive  activity  of  the  thyroid  gland  may  be  caused 
by  a  faulty  diet,  which  can  in  this  way  cause  diabetes,  espe- 
cially when  there  is  an  inherited  tendency.  A  meat  diet  con- 
taining many  extractive  substances  exerts,  as  has  been  shown 
by  the  experiments  of  Breisacher,  Blum,  and  Chalmers 
Watson,  which  will  be  further  referred  to  later,  an  irritating 
influence  upon  the  thyroid,  and  in  persons  who  continue  for 


The  Influence  of  Food  upon  Man.  55 

years  to  eat  too  much  meat,  and  besides  indulge  to  excess  in 
sweets,  diabetes  is  easily  developed. 

The  thyroid  also  greatly  influences  the  metabolism  of  fats, 
and  we  may  say,  in  general,  that  it,  in  connection  with  the 
other  ductless  glands,  in  fact  regulates  the  metabolic  processes 
of  the  organism;  it  acts,  as  von  Noorden  says,  as  a  kind  of 
bellows  for  the  processes  of  combustion.  When  the  thyroid  is 
degenerated  and  inactive,  obesity  develops  readily,  especially 
when  fat-forming  substances,  such  as  fats  or  carbohydrates, 
are  taken,  together  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  albumins. 
When,  on  the  contrary,  the  thyroid  gland  is  overactive,  emacia- 
tion occurs,  and  the  same  condition  may  be  brought  about  by 
the  administration  of  thyroid  extract. 

Alcohol,  like  a  meat  diet,  also  has  a  stimulating  action 
upon  the  thyroid.  Excessive  use  of  alcohol  can,  in  the  same 
way  as  long-continued  indulgence  in  a  diet  rich  in  meats,  pro- 
duce a  change  from  the  previous  condition  of  overactivity  to 
one  of  underactivity  and  degeneration  of  this  very  important 
gland,  which  exerts  an  influence  upon  all  the  life  processes  of 
our  organisms.  (See  various  chapters  in  my  book  on  *'01d 
Age  Deferred.") 

The  marked  importance  of  the  role  played  by  the  thyroid 
in  the  human  nutritive  functions  is  due  to  the  fact  that  in  addi- 
tion to  its  influence  upon  metabolism  it  also  acts  upon  the 
poisons  which  are  taken  into  the  body  with  the  food.  Accord- 
ing to  Blum,  it  detoxicates  products  which  are  formed  through 
the  disintegration  of  albumin ;  the  experiments  of  Kishi  also 
support  this  view.  For  its  action  upon  other  poisons  absorbed 
in  part  with  the  food  and  drink  (as  alcohol)  I  would  refer  the 
reader  to  my  work  mentioned  above. 

The  other  ductless  glands,  including  the  hypophysis,  the 
adrenals,  the  sexual  glands,  exert  similar  detoxicating  actions, 
and  they,  likewise,  are  variously  influenced  by  different  foods. 
Alcohol,  for  instance,  acts  upon  the  adrenals  and  the  sexual 


56  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

glands.  After  feeding  upon  meat,  a  change  in  the  hypophysis 
has  been  observed  in  birds  of  prey  (Forsyth).  The  influence 
of  food  upon  the  sexual  glands  and  sexual  activity  will  be 
taken  up  later. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  FUNDAMENTAL  LAWS  OF  RATIONAL  FEEDING. 

I.  The  Importance  of  the  Various  Foodstuffs,  and  the 
Quantities  nfhich  Should  he  Used. 

If  man  and  beast  are  to  live  and  thrive,  they  must  take 
unto  themselves  the  same  substances  as  those  of  which  they  are 
composed.  Here,  as  so  often  in  the  study  of  dietetics,  we  see 
the  rule  proven,  that  like  consists  of  like,  at  least  in  so  far  as 
the  fundamental  constituents  are  concerned.  I  might  say  that 
man  is  what  he  eats,  or  that  he  eats  that  which  he  is.  The 
most  important  basic  substances  of  which  man  and  beast  are 
composed  are  nitrogen,  carbohydrates,  and  fats,  and  it  must  be 
our  chief  concern  to  take  in  these,  together  with  the  two  other 
important  constituents,  the  drinking-water  and  the  nutritive 
salts.  The  same  is  true  of  plants,  for  they  are  fully  as  much 
living  creatures  as  animals  and  mankind ;  they  live  in  accord- 
ance with  physiological  laws  very  similar  to  ours,  and  suffer, 
in  a  general  way,  from  the  same  pathological  processes.  They 
have,  however,  an  advantage  in  their  mode  of  nourishment  in 
the  fact  that  they  can  acquire  the  greater  part  of  their  food 
without  any  help  from  the  outside.  Mother  Nature  gives  to 
them  the  nitrogen  from  the  air,  which  they  take  up  with  their 
roots,  through  the  aid  of  bacteria ;  the  carbohydrates  they  also 
obtain  from  the  air  with  the  help  of  the  sun's  rays ;  the  nutri- 
tive salts  they  draw  out  from  the  earth  through  the  assistance 
of  the  rain.  In  order,  however,  that  the  most  useful  of  these 
plants  which  contain  the  greatest  amount  of  nourishing  sub- 
stances, and  which  are  best  adapted  for  our  food,  should  rightly 
flourish,  we  lend  a  hand,  and  give  them,  in  accordance  with  the 
suggestion  of  the  great  Justus  v.  Liebig,  nitrogen  and  nutrient 
salts  in  the  form  of  fertilizing  agents. 

(57) 


58  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

These,  then,  exert  a  powerful  influence:  the  nitrogen 
greatly  furthers  the  growth  of  the  plants.  Indeed,  it  acts  in 
the  same  way  upon  man,  and  when  we  wish  to  activate  the 
growth  of  children  we  must  give  them  food  containing  plenty 
or,  at  all  events,  sufhcient  nitrogen. 

It  appears  that  nitrogen  stands  in  such  relation  to  growth 
that,  as  we  have  already  made  clear,  a  plentiful  intake  thereof 
acts  upon  those  organs  which  influence  the  growth,  viz.,  the 
thyroid  and  the  sexual  glands.  Man  keeps  on  growing  until 
these  organs  are  fully  developed  and  ready  for  work,  but  then 
growth  ceases. 

All  of  the  albumin  which  we  have  taken  up  to  this  time 
has  been  useful  in  promoting  our  growth.  This  is  also  the 
period  in  which  we  should  not  deal  too  sparingly  with  the 
albumin,  since  it  is  required  for  the  formation  of  new  tissues. 
When,  however,  the  full  sexual  development  has  been  attained, 
so  generous  a  supply  of  albumin  is  no  longer  needed.  Except 
in  certain  conditions  the  adult  man  cannot  store  up  albumin. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  plentiful  intake  of  albumin  greatly  stimu- 
lates the  metabolic  processes,  for,  according  to  Rubner,  albumin 
particularly  enhances  the  oxidation  processes ;  the  expenditure 
of  energy  is  also  increased. 

Albumin  thus  exerts  a  powerful  action  upon  the  fire  that 
burns  within  us ;  for  it  is  no  doubt  permissible  to  compare  our 
bodies  with  a  furnace,  in  which  burns  an  everlasting  fire  like 
that  upon  the  altar  of  the  goddess  Vesta,  and  when  this  fire  is 
quenched  it  means  death  for  us,  just  as  it  did  for  the  vestal 
virgin  who  allowed  the  fire  to  die  out  upon  the  altar  of  the 
goddess.  Without  this  continuous  process  of  combustion  life 
is  impossible.  And  when  a  machine,  as  represented  by  our 
bodies,  is  constantly  fired,  it  must  work.  In  the  coals  which 
we  lay  upon  the  fire  the  burning  power  of  the  sun  is  stored 
up  which  millions  of  years  ago  streamed  down  perennially 
upon  the  vegetation,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  carbohydrate 


The  Fundamental  Lazvs  of  Rational  Feeding.         59 

contents  of  the  plants  which  we  consume.  The  stored-up 
motive  power  is  now  transformed  into  work.  The  heat  en- 
gendered in  this  furnace  by  the  combustion  of  the  food  can  be 
measured  in  units,  which  we  designate  as  calories.  By  a  calorie 
we  mean  the  amount  of  heat  needed  to  heat  i  liter  of  water 
I  °  C.    According  to  Rubner,  the  process  of  combustion  yields 

1   gram  of   albumin    4.1   calories. 

1  gram  of  carbohydrate   4.1  calories. 

1  gram  of  fat   9.3  calories. 

For  his  adequate  nutrition  a  man  requires,  according  to 
von  Noorden,  per  kilo  of  body  weight : — 
30  to  34  calories,  in  repose. 
34  to  40  calories,  performing  light  work, 
40  to  45  calories,  performing  moderate  work. 
45  to  60  calories,  performing  hard  work. 

Now,  although,  according  to  Rubner,  the  various  foods 
containing  the  same  number  of  calories  have  the  same  nutritive 
value,  yet  their  action  in  our  economy  is  such  that  an  albumi- 
nous food  cannot  be  replaced  by  the  same  amount  of  calories  of 
carbohydrates.  Upon  albumin  alone  a  man  could  live,  pro- 
viding he  could  digest,  for  a  greater  length  of  time,  the  enor- 
mous quantity  of  albumin  necessary  to  cover  the  coloric  de- 
mands of  the  system,  but  not  upon  carbohydrates  and  fats 
without  any  albumin,  even  when  they  are  taken  in  large  quan- 
tities. This  has  been  demonstrated  by  the  experiments  of 
Munk,  Rosenheim,  and  Laegerroos,  who  gave  their  experi- 
mental animals  the  enormous  quantity  of  89  to  no  calories  per 
kilo  of  body  weight,  and,  yet,  could  not  keep  them  alive.  Al- 
bumin is  absolutely  indispensable  for  our  nourishment,  as  our 
most  important  fluids,  blood,  lymph,  digestive  fluids  etc.  con- 
tain large  amounts  of  it.  Even  in  the  adult,  compounds  of  this 
sort  are  lost  during  every  hour  and  every  minute  of  the  life 
process  in  carrying  out  the  varoius  functions,  and  it  is  impos- 
sible to  replace  them  in  any  other  way  than  by  the  ingestion  of 
albumin.     This  may  be  supplied  in  the  form  of  albumin  either 


60  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

of  vegetable  or  animal  origin.  The  preference,  however, 
should,  in  certain  proportions,  be  accorded  to  the  animal  albu- 
min, for  reasons  which  we  shall  set  forth  later.  It  might  here 
be  mentioned,  though,  that  the  animal  albumin  is  much  more 
easily  digested  and  assimilated  in  the  form  in  which  it  occurs 
in  meat,  eggs,  cheese,  and  milk  than  that  contained  in  plants, 
which,  owing  to  the  presence  of  an  indigestible  woody  covering, 
often  resists  the  action  of  the  digestive  fluids.  Very  often  the 
stomach  and  intestines  have  a  difficult  task  to  perform  in 
supplying  us  with  the  same  quantity  of  albumin  from  vege- 
table foods.  For  an  adult,  too  great  an  amount  of  albumin  is 
certainly  not  indicated,  since  it  greatly  increases  the  processes  of 
metabolism.  The  growing  individual  is  able  to  assimilate  the 
albumin,  but  the  adult  can  only  do  so  in  exceptional  circum- 
stances, such  as  starvation,  sickness,  loss  of  blood  in  women 
after  pregnancy,  etc.  Otherwise,  he  can  do  nothing  with  it, 
and  must  burn  it  up,  thus  overloading  his  metabolism  with  the 
ensuing  residue,  and  possibly  injuring  his  most  important  de- 
toxicating  and  secreting  organs.  Carbohydrats  and  fat  can  be 
stored  up  by  adults,  but,  as  has  just  been  said,  albumin,  in  gen- 
eral cannot.  This  would  indicate  the  necessity  of  avoiding  too 
great  an  amount  of  albuminous  food,  i.e.,  more  than  is  required 
in  ordinary  daily  life.  That  nature  has  not  intended  us  for 
such  food  is  perhaps  shown  by  the  fact  that  woman's  milk  is 
comparatively  poor  in  albumin.  It  contains  only  2  per  cent,  of 
it,  together  with  6.4  per  cent,  of  sugar  and  4  per  cent,  of  fat. 

Only  in  work  requiring  a  great  expenditure  of  energy  is 
a  large  amount  of  albumin  necessary,  a  fact  we  shall  dwell 
upon  later  at  greater  length. 

Authors  differ  as  to  the  quantity  of  albumin  which  we 
should  take  daily.  It  was  Voit  who  taught,  as  the  result  of  his 
famous  metabolism  experiments,  that  118  grams  of  albumin 
were  necessary  in  twenty-four  hours.  However,  in  1887  Voit 
published  the  result  of  some  observations  upon  the  diet  of  a 


The  Fundamental  Lazes  of  Rational  Feeding,         61 

vegetarian  whose  twenty-four-hour  albumin  ration  amounted 
to  but  52  grams,  yet  Voit  failed  to  mention  that  these  observa- 
tions did  not  harmonize  with  his  dictum  in  reference  to  the 
necessity  of  118  grams  of  albumin.  Then  followed  inde^Dend- 
ently  experiments  by  Hirschfeld,  a  second  contribution  by  Voit, 
and  one  each  by  Kumagawa,  Klemperer,  and  P.eschel,  all  of 
which  tended  to  show  that  one  might  considerably  deviate  from 
the  figures  of  Voit.  Unfortunately,  however,  these  experi- 
ments extended  only  over  a  few  days  of  time.  The  work  of 
the  aforementioned  men  was  now  followed  by  the  experiments 
of  Breisacher  which  were  the  first  to  prove  conclusively  that  for 
a  greater  length  of  time,  thirty-three  days,  the  albumin  ration 
could  be  materially  reduced  below  the  Voit  figures  without 
producing  any  deleterious  effects  upon  the  general  nutrition. 
A  number  of  years  later  Chittenden  took  up  this  subject  and, 
upon  numerous  individuals,  duplicated  the  experimental  results 
achieved  by  Breisacher  in  his  thirty-three  days'  experiment 
made  upon  himself.  Chittenden  found,  in  experimenting  with 
a  number  of  students  in  American  universities,  that  they  did 
well  and  remained  perfectly  healthy  for  several  months  with  45 
grams  and  were  able  to  achieve  good  results  in  athletic  sports  of 
various  sorts.  Notwithstanding  these  facts,  I  would  not  advise 
the  use  of  such  a  minimal  quantity  of  albumin,  for  these  figures 
prove  merely  that  these  otherwise  healthy  young  men,  stimu- 
lated by  enthusiasm,  were  well  and  able  to  work  for  a  certain 
length  of  time  with  quite  a  limited  amount  of  calorie-supplying 
material.  They  show  also  to  what  an  extreme  point  the  absence 
of  albumin  can  be  carried  when  necessity  demands  it,  without 
at  once  causing  illness.  \\'hen,  however,  I  look  at  the  pictures 
of  these  young  men  in  Chittenden's  report,  and  see  that,  in  the 
majority  of  instances,  their  ribs  appear  to  stand  out  much  too 
prominently,  I  cannot  recommend  such  a  method  of  diet  as  a 
rational  one.  From  the  English  and  American  standpoint  of 
beauty,  to  be  sure,  any  tendency  to  fat  is  unesthetic  and  ugly, 


62  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

and  many  consider  it  an  evidence  of  unsound  health ;  a 
thoroughbred  race  horse  is  thin  and  is  able  to  run  well — it  is 
also  healthy.  But  personally  I  prefer  a  little  lard  in  animals 
and  a  little  fat  in  man,  for  it  forms  a  sort  of  "savings  fund" 
for  the  body  in  times  of  need.  What  is  a  man  subjected  to 
such  a  "minimum"  of  food  intake  to  do  when  he  falls  ill,  and 
has  no  fat  to  offer  to  a  devastating  fever,  while  at  the  same 
time  he  is  not  able  to  take  any  nourishment?  When  a  State 
has  in  its  coffers  only  that  amount  of  money  which  is  barely 
sufficient  to  meet  the  current  expenses,  it  will  soon  become 
bankrupt;  for  our  bodies  such  a  long-continued  deficit  in 
regime  also  means  certain  bankruptcy,  an  eventuality  which 
we  must  try  to  forestall  by  all  the  means  at  our  disposal.  The 
figures  of  Voit  and  Chittenden  may  be  regarded  as  the  two 
extremes,  and,  taking  into  consideration  the  influence  of  indi- 
vidual circumstances,  the  nervous  system,  the  temperament, 
the  climate,  race,  established  habits,  etc.,  it  would  be  really 
impossible  to  specify  any  definite  amount.  It  would  be  best  to 
accept  the  figure  intermediate  between  the  two  extremes — say, 
75  grams — as  an  average  ration  of  albumin.  If  Chittenden's 
men  held  out  with  so  much  less,  it  was  because  of  training. 
Our  tissues  have  a  wonderful  capacity  for  adaptation,  which 
must  be  made  good  use  of  daily;  otherwise,  we  would  soon 
come  to  grief  in  the  strife  for  our  existence.  The  fact  that 
the  digestive  fluids,  as  Pawlow  has  so  beautifully  demon- 
strated, are  differently  secreted  according  to  the  kinds  of  food 
we  are  taking  is  an  example  of  this  adaptability.  I  can,  with 
training,  manage  with  very  little  food ;  at  first  I  would  lose  in 
weight,  but  this  would  soon  cease.  That  it  is  possible  to  train 
one's  self  to  go  hungry  has  been  shown  by  Succi  and  others, 
who  at  the  same  time  remained  quite  well.  Chittenden's  sub- 
jects also  at  first  lost  all  that  they  could  bear  in  weight,  but 
then  the  loss  came  to  a  standstill ;  when  I  see  their  photographs, 
however,  I  notice  that  they  were  by  no  means  "fleshy."    As  I 


The  Fundamental  Lazn's  of  Rational  Feeding. 


63 


have  stated  in  my  book  on  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  I  found,  in 
experimenting  upon  myself,  that  for  two  months  I  felt  very 
well  and  did  not  lose  in  weight  while  taking  70  grams  of 
albumin  and  2300  calories  per  day.  I  drank  a  great  deal  of 
milk.  When  but  little  albumin  is  taken  in  with  the  food  it  is 
necessary  to  ingest  all  the  more  carbohydrates  and  fat. 

Gelatin,  a  substance  closely  related  to  albumin,  is  never- 
theless not  a  substitute  for  the  latter.  It  serves  as  a  "sparer," 
however,  as  do  also  the  carbohydrates.  It  is  obtained  by  the 
boiling  of  connective  tissues  or  of  cellulose. 

The  carbohydrates  play  an  important  part  in  our  food 
as  economizers  of  the  albumin,  and  as  such  they  are  of  much 
greater  importance  than  the  fats.  The  experiments  of  Petten- 
kofer  and  Voit,  Fik,  and  Wislicenus  have  shown  that  the 
carbohydrates  are  the  first  in  importance  among  the  food  sub- 
stances for  the  furtherance  of  muscular  work.  We  shall  have 
more  to  say  upon  this  subject  in  the  chapter  upon  the  increase 
of  muscular  force  by  specially  adapted  food.  Fat,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  of  great  importance  in  the  formation  of  body  heat. 
When  it  is  very  cold,  much  more  fat  is  used  up,  as  was  shown 
by  the  labors  of  Voit  and  Duke  Karl  Theodor  of  Bavaria. 
W^ith  fatty  food  more  combustion  units  are  also'  introduced. 
We  shall  speak  of  the  fats  later.  Both  the  carbohydrates  and 
fats  must  be  taken  in  larger  quantities  when  the  supply  of 
albumin  furnished  is  small,  especially  if  extra  work  is  to  be 
performed  and  in  a  cold  climate  or  in  winter  weather.  The 
necessary  quantity  of  albumin,  carbohydrates,  and  fats  per  day 
for  an  adult  is  given  by  Rubner  in  the  following  figures : — 


Body  weight. 

Albumin. 
Grams. 

Fat. 
Grams. 

Carbohy- 
drate. 
Grams. 

Calories. 

50  kilograms 

70 

50 

70 

with  light  work 
(t         t(         <i 

"    heavy     " 

90 
123 

96 
118 

37 
46 
44 
56 

262 
327 
404 
500 

2102 
2631 
2472 
3094 

64  Health  TJiroiigh  Rational  Diet. 

As  we  present  in  this  work  the  tables  of  Konig,  Rubner, 
Hutchison,  Gautier,  Balland,  etc.,  setting  forth  the  amounts 
of  albumin,  carbohydrates,  and  fats  contained  in  the  various 
foods,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  establish  the  approximate  quan- 
tity of  necessary  food  according  to  the  figures  of  Rubner  given 
above. 

2.  The  Nufritive  Salts  and  Their  Great  Importance. 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  observance,  how  eagerly  dogs 
will  lick  up  blood.  That  this  is  not  to  be  ascribed  to  the  nutri- 
tive value  of  the  albumin-content  of  the  blood  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  when  they  are  given  their  choice  of  meat  or  blood 
they  will  at  once  turn  to  the  blood.  There  must,  then,  be  a 
difference  in  taste,  and,  indeed,  blood  is  distinguished  by  its 
salty  taste.  Whtn  we  accidentally  scratch  our  gums  with  a 
toothpick,  we  can  easily  convince  ourselves  of  this  fact. 

Dogs  often  do  not  get  enough  salt  in  their  food,  and,  since 
animals  cannot  talk,  they  cannot  ask  for  it  when  their  masters 
forget  to  give  it  to  them.  The  salt  contained  in  meat  is  often 
not  sufficient  for  their  needs,  and  other  articles  of  food  fre- 
quently contain  even  less  or,  like  vegetables, — for  reasons 
which  we  shall  give  later, — have  a  tendency  to  increase  their 
desire  for  salt.  The  iron  contained  in  the  blood  may  also 
instinctively  attract  the  animal,  as  his  usual  food  is  mostly 
very  poor  in  this  constituent. 

We  can  often  observe  how  wild  dogs  get  over  bones. 
Here  again  there  can  be  no  question  of  great  nutritive  value, 
even  when  we  include  the  marrow,  for  they  very  often  prefer 
the  bones  to  the  meat.  It  would  doubtless  be  more  accurate 
to  consider  the  other  substances  contained  in  the  bone,  and,  of 
these,  lime  is  the  most  important.  Very  likely  it  is  also  the 
instinctive  desire  for  and  need  of  lime  which  impels  the  dog 
to  eat  bones. 


The  Fundamental  Lazvs  of  Rational  Feeding.  65 

Possibly  the  marked  craving  of  cats  for  fish  is  due  to 
similar  reasons,  and  is  related  to  the  large  amount  of  phos- 
phorus contained  in  the  flesh  and  bones  of  many  kinds  of  fish. 
Cats  are  also  very  fond  of  milk,  and  here  it  is  perhaps  the 
phosphate  of  lime  found  in  considerable  quantities  in  this  food 
substance  which  forms  the  principal  attraction,  in  addition  to 
the  other  nutritive  components. 

Owing  to  its  considerable  content  of  these  substances,  a 
milk  diet  is  of  the  greatest  importance  for  young  growing 
animals  or  children,  since  the  bones  must  be  built  up,  and  these 
consist  principally  of  lime  and  phosphorus.  When  these  ele- 
ments are  not  present  in  the  food,  or  are  insufficiently  rep- 
resented, growth  is  retarded,  as  has  been  shown  by  a  number 
of  experiments.  The  nutritive  salts  are  necessary  for  both 
man  and  beast ;  we  may  even  say  that  they  are  much  more  so 
than  the  food  substances  themselves,  for  without  nourishment 
animals  will  live  longer  than  when  deprived  of  salts.  Although 
the  latter  are  not  nourishing  in  themselves,  the  food  ingested 
by  us  would  be  of  no  use  whatever  if  it  did  not  contain  these 
salts,  and  when  the  quantity  contained  is  insufficient  marked 
disturbances  of  health  occur.  The  special  importance  of  these 
salts  has  been  shown  by  the  experiments  of  Forster,  whose 
animals  all  died  when  placed  upon  a  food  from  which  the 
nutritive  salts  had  been  almost  entirely  removed.  His  experi- 
ments were  confirmed  by  those  performed  by  Lunin  in  the 
laboratories  of  Bunge.  With  the  addition  of  sodium  carbonate 
Lunin's  mice  lived  somewhat  longer,  but  all  finally  died.  For 
man,  animals,  and  plants  to  thrive,  it  is  necessary  that  they 
should  have  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  nutritive  salts.  While 
many  of  these  important  salts  may  be  present  in  quite  ample 
amounts,  the  health  will  suffer  if  one  of  them — the  iron,  for 
instance — is  not  sufficiently  represented.  Liebig's  law  of  the 
minimum  amount  is  not  only  true  in  regard  to  plants,  but  of 
man  as  well,  and  we  must  see  to  it  that  precisely  this  element, 


66  HealtJi  Through  Rational  Diet. 


iron,  which  is  present  in  such  small  quantities,  be  supplemented 
by  that  contained  in  the  food.  Probably  there  is  no  function 
of  the  body  which  could  be  carried  on  without  an  ample  supply 
of  nutritive  salts.  Without  their  assistance  we  could  not  build 
up  our  bones  and  tissues,  nor  would  any  cell  nuclei  be  formed ; 
the  osmotic  tension  in  the  blood  and  in  the  tissues  would  be 
impossible  without  these  salts,  and  very  often  the  action  of 
ferments,  too,  could  not  take  place.  They  have  a  very  power- 
ful influence  upon  all  metabolic  processes,  and  without  their 
help  the  unpoisoning  of  the  organism  from  the  products  of 
metabolism  would  not  occur.  Since  the  iron  is  the  carrier  of 
the  oxygen,  the  oxidative  processes  in  our  bodies  depend  upon 
the  presence  of  the  nutritive  salts,  and  Albu  and  Neuberg  class 
these  salts  as  "catalyzers,"  i.e.,  place  them  in  the  same  category, 
as  regards  their  mode  of  action,  as  the  ferments  and  enzymes. 
Neither  the  nerves  nor  the  muscles  could  carry  on  their  func- 
tions without  the  presence  of  certain  ions  of  sodium,  calcium, 
and  potassium,  and  without  them  life  itself  would  be  impos- 
sible, as  has  been  proven  by  the  experiments  of  Forster  and 
Lunin. 

Thus,  these  salts  exist  in  certain  quantities  in  the  body; 
the  earth-salts  preponderate ;  others,  such  as  iodine  and  arsenic, 
are  present  only  in  very  small  amounts,  but  nevertheless  play 
an  important  role,  and,  as  has  been  so  rightly  said,  even  the 
most  minute  quantities  may  cause  a  sudden  acceleration  in  the 
chemical  processes  which  take  place  in  our  bodies.  I  would 
like  here  to  cite  the  example  given  by  the  secretions  of  the 
ductless  glands,  several  of  which,  like  the  adrenals,  are  only 
tiny  structures  weighing  a  few  grams.  The  secretion  of  these 
glands,  which  is  also  very  slight  in  amount,  circulates  in  all 
the  blood  and  is  everywhere  active.  From  all  that  has  been 
said,  it  is  plain  how  necessary  it  is  that  we  should  ingest  these 
important  salts,  and  this  we  can  do  by  a  judicious  choice  of  our 
food  substances.    Nevertheless,  it  is  not  such  a  simple  matter, 


The  Fundamental  Lazus  of  Rational  Feeding.         67 

for,  in  addition  to  the  taking  of  the  proper  foods,  it  is  also 
necessary  that  these  nutritive  salts  should  be  absorbed,  and, 
what  is  still  more  important,  be  assimilated,  i.e.,  retained.  For 
when,  as  may  occur  with  the  lime-salts,  the  greater  part  passes 
out  through  the  intestines  in  the  presence  of  intestinal  disturb- 
ances, we  have  but  very  little  use  of  the  salts,  and  we  must  see 
to  it  that  the  elimination  takes  place  through  the  kidneys, 
rather  than  through  the  intestines.  With  some  of  the  nutrient 
salts,  e.g.,  those  containing  phosphorus,  the  organic  combina- 
tions may  appear  in  the  urine,  while  the  inorganic  are  for  the 
most  part  excreted  by  the  intestine.  Even  when,  however, 
the  greater  part  of  these  salts  is  taken  up  by  the  blood,  their  as- 
similation depends  upon  the  condition  of  those  organs  which 
regulate  the  general  metabolic  processes  of  the  body.  These 
organs  are  the  ductless  glands,  and  without  their  assistance  we 
could  derive  no  benefit  from  the  nutritive  salts  which  have 
been  taken  in  with  the  food.  The  relations  are  here  inter- 
changeable. On  the  one  hand,  the  ingested  salts,  including 
iodine  compounds,  have  a  very  stimulating  effect  upon  the 
thyroid,  and  the  taking  of  too  much  iodine  may  even  give  rise 
to  Basedow's  disease ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  thyroid  has  such 
an  effect  with  regard  to  certain  nutrient  salts,  such  as  lime, 
phosphorus,  and  common  salt  (sodium  chloride),  that  its  over- 
activity may  cause  an  increased  elimination  of  these  salts. 
When  one  of  these  ductless  glands  is  inactive,  as,  for  instance, 
the  spleen,  the  iron  contained  in  our  bodies,  as  found  by 
Ascher,  is  not  assimilated,  but  is  thrown  off  in  large  quantities. 
In  my  opinion,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  entire  mineral 
metabolism  is  governed  and  regulated  by  the  ductless  glands. 
These  glands  also  form  a  sort  of  depot  for  certain  salts ;  the 
thyroid,  for  instance,  contains  the  most  iodine,  which  it  gives 
off  as  required;  the  spleen  seems  to  act  in  the  same  way  for 
iron,  and  the  pancreas  for  silicic  acid.  The  adrenals  svem  to 
stand  in  relation  with  sulphur.    In  view  of  the  great  importana; 


68  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

of  this  subject,  it  is  very  desirable  that  further  experiments 
be  made  in  this  direction,  for  it  is  perhaps  not  too  much  to  say- 
that  the  entire  future  of  the  pathology  of  metabolism  lies  in 
this  field.  Upon  such  a  basis  the  treatment  of  many  diseases 
which  are  at  present  incurable,  such  as  mental  affections,  could 
be  greatly  advanced,  for  reasons  which  we  shall  refer  to  later. 
With  this  object  in  view  the  investigation  of  phosphorus 
metabolism  would  be  of  primary  importance.  Probably  none 
of  the  nutritive  salts  are  of  such  special  importance  as  those 
containing  phosphorus,  for  the  organ  to  which  we  owe  our 
superiority  to  all  other  living  organisms  upon  this  earth,  the 
brain,  is  much  more  closely  related,  in  its  construction  and 
activity,  to  phosphorus  and  perhaps  lime  than  to  any  other 
nutritive  salt  constituent. 

There  remains  for  us  to  state  here  the  rules  according  to 
which  we  can  in  a  rational  manner  regulate  the  intake  of 
nutriment  for  our  bodies.  In  general,  we  must  establish  this 
intake  according  to  the  relative  amounts  in  which  the  salts  are 
present  in  the  various  organs  of  the  body.  Lime,  phosphorus, 
and  common  salt  probably  preponderate, — lime  and  phosphorus 
in  the  bones,  phosphorus  and  some  lime  in  many  of  the  tissues, 
and  salt  in  the  tissues  and  fluids.  Sufficient  amounts  of  these 
substances  must  accordingly  be  absorbed,  at  least  i  to  13^ 
grams  daily,  and  sometimes  even  more.  Salt  is  the  one  which 
is  principally  taken, — usually  much  more  of  it  than  is  neces- 
sary, which  then  has  an  injurious  action.  Other  substances 
which  occur  only  in  small  quantities  in  the  body,  such  as  iron, 
iodine,  should  only  be  taken  in  small  amounts.  When  too 
much  of  these — iron,  for  instance — is  introduced,  a  similar 
result  occurs;  as  when  plants  are  too  much  fertilized  with  only 
one  salt  they  do  not  thrive.  Those  substances  which  exist  in 
such  minimum  quantities  in  the  body,  like  iodine,  can,  how- 
ever, not  possibly  be  introduced  in  too  great  quantities  in  our 
food.    We  must,  furthermore,  be  guided  by  the  amount  given 


The  Fundamental  Lazes  of  Rational  Feeding.  69 

off  and  the  quantity  required.  A  woman  who  is  pregnant  or 
is  nursing  requires  more  of  certain  nutritive  salts,  and  we  can 
observe  how  certain  animals  try  in  every  possible  way  to  obtain 
them,  like  the  hen  for  instance,  when  she  requires  lime  for  the 
formation  of  the  eggshell.  If  it  is  not  given  her  in  her  food, 
she  will  pick  it  off  from  the  wall.  When  we  wish  to  know 
how  much  and  which  kind  of  nutritive  salt  is  required  for  the 
culture  of  a  plant,  we  examine  the  ground  in  which  the  plant 
grows,  as  to  its  salt  contents,  and  then  decide  upon  those 
needed;  in  man,  the  feces  and  urine  should  be  analyzed,  with 
a  view  to  determining  upon  the  salts  to  be  introduced  in  the 
food.  To  carry  on  such  metabolic  examinations  in  general 
would  hardly  be  practicable,  but  it  is  indicated  in  pathological 
cases,  and  I  probably  am  not  going  too  far  in  emphasizing  the 
great  similarity  between  the  physiology  and  pathology  of  plant 
and  animal  life.  It  is  certain  that  a  growing  organism  requires 
a  much  greater  amount  of  phosphorus  and  lime,  and,  as  is 
the  case  with  plants,  the  taking  of  phosphorus,  lecithin,  will,  in 
man,  increase  the  nitrogen  supply  and  the  growth.  We  must 
not  conclude,  however,  that  an  adult  organism  does  not  require 
these  salts ;  at  all  events  it  has  been  convincingly  shown,  by  the 
experiments  of  Voit,  Roloff,  and  of  Baginsky,  that  in  full- 
grown  animals,  dogs,  pigs,  etc.,  when  lime  and  phosphorus  are 
not  present  in  their  foods,  the  bones  become  thin  and  porous, 
and  are  only  strengthened  again  by  calcium  phosphate.  The 
introduction  of  the  same  is  to  be  governed  by  the  importance 
of  the  functions  which  are  to  be  carried  out  by  certain  organs; 
and  when  these  are  greatly  increased,  the  salts  which  are 
present  in  large  quantities  in  these  organs  should  likewise  be 
introduced  in  correspondingly  large  amounts.  In  fatiguing 
brain  and  nerve  actions,  more  phosphorus  should  be  given  and 
some  lime,  too,  as  will  be  shown  later.  In  fact,  a  lessening  of 
the  phosphorus  content  exists  in  many  pathological  conditions 
of  the  brain  (Marie),  and  by  giving  phosphorus  it  has  been 


70  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

possible,  in  certain  cases  in  which  it  was  tried,  to  bring  about 
considerable  improvement;  Kocher  and  Trachewski  showed 
the  same  results  in  Basedow's  disease,  by  administering  sodium 
phosphate. 

In  the  treatment  of  epilepsy,  similar  results  have  also 
recently  been  obtained  in  the  same  way.  It  is,  furthermore,  of 
great  importance  to  state  that — as  has  been  shown  by  experi- 
ments on  animals  and  by  clinical  experience — when  phosphorus 
is  absent  in  the  food  polyneuritis  and  other  conditions,  such 
as  beriberi  and  Barlow's  disease,  occur,  which  are  greatly  im- 
proved by  foods  rich  in  phosphorus.  Phosphorus  can  best 
be  administered  in  organic  combination,  as  demonstrated  by 
the  experiments  of  Roehmann  and  his  followers,  and  also  in  a 
most  convincing  manner  by  those  carried  out  upon  children  by 
Cronheim  and  Miiller. 

A  certain  way  of  administering  plenty  of  phosphorus  is  to 
give  the  nucleins.  ( See  the  works  of  O.  Loewi. )  In  this  way 
nitrogen  and  phosphorus  are  provided.  The  same  result  was 
obtained  by  Buchmann  by  giving  lecithin,  which  also  increases 
the  growth  of  animals  (Stocklasa).  The  lecithins  are  fat-like 
bodies,  which  contain  much  phosphorus;  they  are  found  in 
grains,  especially  wheat,  oats,  and  other  cereals.  The  pollen 
of  flowers  also  contains  considerable  lecithin,  so  that  there  is 
a  certain  amount  of  it  in  honey.  Among  animal  foods,  eggs, 
in  particular,  have  a  considerable  lecithin  content.  Further- 
more, much  of  it  is  found  in  certain  organs,  especially  in  the 
liver;  thus,  when  we  eat  calves'  liver  we  are  taking  in  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  lecithin.  The  same  is  the  case  when  brains 
and  milk  are  used  as  foods.  However,  woman's  milk  is 
superior  to  cows'  milk,  as  the  body  is  better  able  to  take  up  and 
make  use  of  its  phosphoric  content. 

To  what  extent  the  phosphorus  of  lecithin-containing 
foods  is  assimilated  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  80  per  cent,  of  it 
is  found  in  the  urine  and  20  per  cent,  in  the  stools,  which  proves 


The  Fimdamcntal  Lazi's  of  Rational  Feeding.  71 

a  most  complete  utilization.  With  a  vegetable  diet,  there  is  a 
poor  showing  in  regard  to  the  assimilation  of  phosphorus ;  this 
is  a  great  pity,  since  these  foods  often  contain  much  of  it;  it 
passes  off,  however,  together  with  the  lime,  through  the  intes- 
tines. In  fact,  in  those  living  entirely  upon  a  vegetable  diet, 
much  more  phosphorus  is  found  in  the  stools  than  in  the  urine, 
showing  it  has  been  very  poorly  made  use  of.  It  would  there- 
fore be  very  interesting  to  investigate  whether  the  entire  ques- 
tion of  the  condition  of  physical  inferiority  among  vegetable- 
eaters,  as  compared  with  meat-eaters,  which  is  noticeable  even 
among  birds,  is  not  in  some  way  related  to  these  facts.  Never- 
theless, however  much  phosphorus  we  may  be  taking,  even  in 
the  organic  form,  which  is  so  much  better  absorbed  and  assim- 
ilated, its  utilization  in  our  bodies  and  its  incorporation  into 
the  tissues  for  the  maintenance  of  their  functions  depend 
greatly  upon  the  condition  of  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands, 
as  well  as  the  hypophysis.  When  the  thyroid  is  overactive, 
much  phosphorus  is  eliminated,  as  has  been  found  by  Roos  and 
Scholz.  On  the  other  hand,  as  we  have  already  mentioned,  the 
elimination  is  lessened  in  underactivity  of  the  thyroid.  In 
order  that  phosphorus  be  properly  assimilated,  it  is  very  im- 
portant that  the  thyroid  function  be  normal,  i.e.,  neither  over- 
nor  under-  active.  With  overactivity  of  the  sexual  organs — 
the  ovaries,  for  instance — there  is  associated  an  abundant 
elimination  of  phosphorus  and  lime ;  the  same  occurs  in  osteo- 
malacia, in  which  psychoses  also  make  their  appearance. 
When,  however,  these  persons  are  castrated,  the  pathological 
elimination  ceases.  Curatulo  and  Tarulli  found  that  when 
female  dogs  were  castrated  the  phosphoric  elimination  was 
diminished ;  after  the  administration  of  ovarian  extract,  it  was 
increased  again.  Castration  in  women  may  likewise  cure 
osteomalacia,  and  the  excessive  output  of  phosphorus  ceases; 
the  fact  that  the  administration  of  phosphorus  will  alsO'  cure 
this  condition  is  of  great  practical  significance  (M.  Sternberg, 


72  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

His,  Sauerbruch).  Phosphorus  in  addition  influences  the 
assimilation  of  Hme;  in  osteomalacia  it  appears  to  do  this  in 
a  roundabout  way  through  the  intermediary  of  the  ovaries.  In 
general,  the  nutritive  salts,  as  we  have  already  stated,  act  pri- 
marily upon  the  ductless  glands,  and  the  latter  then  regulate 
their  use  according  to  the  various  requirements  of  the  organ- 
ism. When  phosphorus  is  administered  the  lime  can  also  be 
better  made  use  of,  and  we  therefore  see  an  improvement  in 
this  respect  in  rickets.  This  disease,  which  affects  so  many 
children,  seems  to  be  due  to  the  absence  of  lime-salts  in  their 
food,  as  has  been  shown  by  the  experiments  of  Roloff  and 
Baginsky,  as  well  as  those  of  Aron  and  Seebauer.  Seemann 
found,  too,  that  the  milk  of  the  mothers  of  rachitic  children  is 
often  surprisingly  poor  in  lime ;  Gottig,  again,  proved  that  with 
food  poor  in  lime  the  bony  structure  in  the  limbs  suffers,  and 
an  increased  reabsorption  of  the  bones  may  occur.  The  absorp- 
tion of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  lime  may  also  be  interfered  with 
by  intestinal  disturbances.  Even  when  an  ample  amount  of 
lime  has  been  taken  in  with  the  food  and  has  been  absorbed, 
rickets  may,  in  my  opinion,  still  occur  if  there  is  degeneration 
of  the  ductless  gland,  the  function  of  which  is  to  utilize  the 
lime  which  has  been  ingested  in  accordance  with  the  require- 
ments of  the  various  organs.  It  is  an  uncontrovertible  fact 
that  ossification  of  the  epiphyses  of  the  hollow  bones  does  not 
take  place  even  for  some  time  after  the  age  of  puberty,  when 
the  thyroid  or  sexual  organs  (as  in  eunuchs)  are  degenerated; 
and  it  is  also  well  known  that  in  degenerated  conditions  of  the 
thyroid  the  formation  of  callus  after  fractures  of  the  bones 
often  does  not  occur.  When,  however,  thyroid  extract  is 
administered,  callus  formation  proceeds,  i.e.,  a  better  reaction 
on  the  part  of  the  tissues  becomes  evident.  In  my  opinion  it 
must  therefore  logically  follow  that,  however  great  be  the 
amount  of  lime  in  the  food,  it  will  not  be  sufficient  for  the  cure 
of  rickets,  unless  treatment  by  thyroid  extract  is  instituted  at 


The  Fundamental  Lan's  of  Rational  Feeding.  73 

the  same  time.  Good  results  have  thus  been  obtained  in  several 
cases;  and  if  this  fact  has  not  been  confinned  by  others,  it  is 
because  the  other  factor — a  sufficient  quantity  of  lime  or  phos- 
phorus in  the  food — was  not  combined  with  the  thyroid  treat- 
ment. Both  these  factors,  the  nutritive  salts  and  organo- 
therapy, must  be  simultaneously  brought  into  play.  The  fact 
that  the  thyroid  gland  influences  the  growth  of  bony  structures, 
as  was  first  shown  by  Lanz,  undoubtedly  affords  a  solid  foun- 
dation for  the  above  statements. 

The  amount  of  lime  present  also  greatly  affects  the  blood, 
for  in  the  absence  of  lime  coagulation  does  not  take  place,  since 
its  influence  is  that  of  an  activator  of  the  coagulating  ferment. 
The  coagulation  of  milk  by  rennet  is  prevented  in  the  absence 
of  lime.  The  influence  of  the  latter  upon  the  functions  of  the 
brain  is  also  of  great  importance,  since  the  experiments  of 
Sabatani  and  Quest  have  shown^  that  an  insufficiency  of  lime 
mcreases  the  irritability  of  the  cerebral  cortex,  while  an  increase 
of  lime  lowers  it.  According  to  von  Noorden,  in  rachitis,  as 
well  as  in  gout,  administration  of  lime  is  very  efficacious. 
Lehmann  is  of  the  opinion  that  lime  increases  the  activity  of 
the  kidneys.  From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  how  important  it 
is  to  take  plenty  of  lime  in  the  food,  which  is  best  accomplished 
by  the  use  of  milk  and  drinking-water  containing  this  sub- 
stance. Although  many  plants  are  very  rich  in  lime,  it  is 
unfortunately  a  fact  that,  as  has  been  shown  by  Bunge,  this 
lime  is  much  less  readily  taken  up  by  the  blood  than  that  con- 
tained in  meat  foods.  As  stated  by  Roese,  it  is  a  great  draw- 
back that,  owing  to  the  unskillful  cooking  of  vegetables — it  is 
more  than  unskilled;  it  is  actually  criminal — and  especially 
through  allowing  them  to  stand  for  a  long  time  in  tepid  water, 
a  very  considerable  amount  of  the  nutritive  salts  is  lost;  they 
are  simply  soaked  out.  Roese  also  pointed  out  the  very  in- 
jurious effects  of  drinking  water  poor  in  lime;  he  found  that 

1  According  to  Albu  and  Neuberg,  loc.  cit. 


74 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


wherever  soft  water  is  used  many  men  are  found  incapable  of 
the  mihtary  service;  the  chest  measurements,  too,  are  smaller, 
and  tuberculosis  is  very  prevalent.  If  we  consider  the  power- 
ful influence  exerted  by  lime  upon  the  growth  of  the  bony 
skeleton,  this  will  be  readily  understood.  We  shall  now  present 
Bunge's  table^  of  the  amounts  of  lime  and  phosphorus  con- 
tained in  some  of  the  commonly  used  foods : — 

In  loo  grams  are  contained 


Cows'  milk  . . . 
Woman's  milk 
Yolk  of  eggs. . 

Butter 

Spinach 

Figs 

Dates 

Plums 

Peas 

Potatoes  

Beef,  only 

Graham  bread 
White  bread  . 


In  loo  grams  of  each  of  the  following  food  substances, 
lecithin  is  contained,  according  to  Konig,  in  the  amounts 
specified : — 


Peas   1.05 

Lentils   170 

Soja  beans   1.64 

Beans  0.81 

Wheat    0.43 


Barley    0.47 

Rye    0.57 

Corn   0.25 

Buckwheat    0.53 


As  we  may  notice,  yolk  of  o^gg  and  spinach  are  very  rich 
in  phosphorus  and  lime ;  they  also  contain  a  large  amount  of 
the  salts  of  iron.  These  are  also  most  important  salts,  since 
iron  forms  part  of  the  blood-corpuscles,  and  has  to  transport 
the  oxygen  which  has  been  taken  up  in  the  lungs  by  the  blood- 
corpuscles  to  the  tissues.     It  thus  acts  as  the  oxygen  carrier. 


1  Bunge :   Loc.  cit.,  vol.  ii,  p.  88. 


The  Fuftdamental  Laws  of  Rational  Feeding.         75 

Furthermore,  it  plays  an  important  role  in  the  formation  of 
hemoglobin,  and  in  this  connection  Bunge  is  of  the  opinion 
that  the  iron  in  organic  combination  is  more  effective  than  in 
inorganic  compounds.  Bunge  and  Abderhalden  have  shown 
that  animals  receiving  food  poor  in  iron  become  very  anemic; 
when  they  are  given  a  diet  rich  in  iron,  e.g.,  cabbage,  carrots, 
and  various  greens,  the  iron-content  in  the  blood  is  increased. 
As  far  as  the  absorption  is  concerned,  there  does  not  seem  to 
be  any  material  difference  between  the  organic  and  the  inor- 
ganic varieties;  since,  however,  the  former  is  absorbed  more 
freely,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  take  in  the  necessary  amount  of  iron 
with  the  food.  If  it  is  contained  in  sufficient  quantities  in  the 
food,  the  inorganic  preparations  of  iron  may,  when  there  is 
chlorosis  or  anemia,  very  powerfully  excite  the  blood-forming 
organs.  In  fact  it  would  seem,  as  I  have  already  stated  in  my 
work,  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  that  the  action  of  iron  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  it  primarily  excites  to  greater  activity  the 
ductless  glands  which  govern  the  blood-forming  bone-marrow 
and  also  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands.  When,  therefore,  we 
wish  to  prevent  or  cure  anemia,  we  should,  instead  of  taking 
expensive  medicaments  and  artificial  preparations  of  iron,  eat 
foods  such  as  blood-pudding,  spinach,  eggs,  etc.  Bunge  gives 
the  iron  content  of  certain  foods  as  follows : — 

In  I  GO  grams  are  contained 

Hogs'  blood   0.226  Almonds 0.0025 

Spinach    0.033  to  0.039  Lentils    0.0045 

Asparagus    0.02  Strawberries    0.008   to  0.093 

Yolk  of  eggs   0.001  to  0.024  Peas  0.062   to  0.066 

Beef    0.017  Potatoes  0.064 

Apples  0.013  Bilberries  0.0057 

Red  cherries  0.010  Grapes    0.0056 

The  observations  of  Ascher  indicate  that  the  condition  of 
the  spleen  is  of  importance  in  the  assimilation  of  iron  in  the 
body.  He  found  that  dogs  from  which  the  spleen  had  been 
removed  eliminated  more  iron  than  healthy  ones.     The  iron 


76  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

set  free  in  the  process  of  metabolism  can  be  stored  up  in  the 
body  through  the  agency  of  the  spleen;  otherwise  it  is  elimi- 
nated. 

Again,  sodium  chloride  is  an  absolutely  indispensable 
nutrient  salt.  Herbivorous  animals  possess  a  veritable  mania 
for  it,  and  it  is  advisable  in  a  cow-stable,  for  instance,  to  hang 
up  a  large  piece  of  salt  if  one  is  not  to  see  the  cows  licking  all 
manner  of  objects  in  search  of  it.  Sheep  also  thrive  and  stand 
the  bad  weather  better  out  in  the  fields  if  sufficient  salt  is 
given  them  in  their  food.  The  diet  of  these  animals  contains 
a  large  amount  of  potash  salts;  and  Bunge  has  shown  that 
when  much  potash  is  ingested  in  vegetable  foods,  much  soda 
is  withdrawn  from  the  blood  in  consequence ;  this  must  then 
be  made  up  again  in  the  food.  Thus,  in  eating  potatoes,  we 
require  a  great  deal  of  common  salt,  since  they  contain  much 
potash  and  very  little  soda;  with  rice,  on  the  other  hand,  but 
little  salt  is  needed,  as  rice  contains  but  little  potash  salt.  The 
passage  of  a  large  amount  of  salt  is  not  at  all  good  for  the 
kidneys ;  they  may  be  injured  thereby.  When  the  kidneys  are 
diseased,  very  little  salt  is  eliminated,  as  has  been  shown  by 
Alexander  von  Koranyi,  who  introduced  cryoscopy.  H. 
Strauss,  Vidal,  and  Achard  have  stated  that  the  ingestion  of 
much  sodium  chloride  is  very  injurious,  and  may  induce  edema 
when  the  kidneys  are  already  diseased ;  they  found  also  that 
the  edema  was  much  improved  when  a  diet  very  poor  in  salt 
was  given. 

H,  Strauss  found  that  when  the  kidneys  do  not  quite 
fully  carry  out  their  functions  sodium  chloride  is  retained, 
whereas  the  other  chlorides  pass  through.  It  follows  from  the 
above  that  an  excess  of  salt  may  injure  the  kidneys,  but  that 
it  has  no  injurious  action  when  small  quantities  are  taken  daily, 
and  when  the  kidneys  are  healthy.  A  rice  diet  would  perhaps 
be  the  best  for  the  kidneys,  if  the  rice  were  not,  as  is  often  the 
c^se,  overseasoned. 


The  Fundamental  Lazvs  of  Rational  Feeding.         77 

Besides  the  important  nutritive  salts  already  mentioned 
there  are  several  others,  such  as  those  containing  iodine  and 
arsenic,  which,  though  they  occur  in  minimal  quantities  only, 
are  of  much  importance  in  our  bodies.  Iodine  plays  a  very 
great  role  because  it  is  required  by  the  principal  ductless  gland, 
the  thyroid,  for  the  carrying  out  of  its  functions.  Iodine  is 
absent  from  inactive  thyroids,  as  also  in  the  presence  of  con- 
nective-tissue goiters.  The  thyroid  contains  the  most  iodine, 
but  the  various  other  ductless  glands,  as  well  as  the  blood,  also 
contain  organically  combined  iodine ;  it  is  present,  in  particular, 
in  the  leucocytes.  Iodine  influences  the  various  metabolic 
processes  as  a  catalyzer.  We  take  it  in  with  our*  food.  Ac- 
cording to  Bourcet,  the  vegetarian  diet  contains  more  iodine; 
certain  varieties  of  fish,  such  as  the  herring,  also  contain  it  in 
quite  considerable  amounts.  Aron  states  that  the  thyroid  gland 
contains  about  i  centigram  of  iodine.  Arsenic,  too,  is  con- 
tained in  minute  quantities  in  various  organs,  according  to 
Gautier  and  Bertrand.  In  eating  hens'  eggs  we  absorb  a  small 
amount  of  arsenic.  Silicic  acid  is  also  contained  in  our  organs, 
and  particularly  in  the  muscle  tendons.  Schulz  affirms  that 
the  connective  tissue  contains  this  substance  in  fairly  large 
amount.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  iodine  is  contained 
in  the  thyroid,  the  iron  in  the  spleen,  whereas  the  silicic  acid  is 
especially  well  represented  in  the  pancreas  (Kail  and  Kunkel). 

3.  Water. 

Like  the  plant,  man  cannot  live  without  water.  A  plant 
may  have  at  its  disposal  ever  so  much  of  the  nutritive  salts, 
without  which  it  cannot  live,  but  they  are  of  no  use  to  it  unless 
it  receives  water,  be  this  rainwater  or  dew,  or  that  provided  by 
the  helping  hand  of  man ;  water  is  absolutely  required  to  bring 
these  salts  in  solution,  so  that  they  may  be  absorbed  by  the 
roots.    Man,  likewise,  would  not  be  able  to  assimilate  his  food 


78  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

without  water,  since  it  dissolves  the  nutritive  substances,  that 
they  may  be  taken  up  by  his  body.  The  digestive  fluids  require 
a  considerable  amount  of  water,  as  does  also  the  blood,  of 
which  it  forms  the  most  voluminous  constituent.  Through  the 
aid  of  the  water,  the  nutritive  substances  and  salts  which  have 
been  dissolved  are  carried  from  the  blood  into  the  tissues.  For 
this  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  must  be  at  the  disposal  of  the 
blood ;  if  the  blood  receives  too  much  of  it,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  will  become  too  dilute.  However,  all-wise  Nature  has  made 
provision  for  this  eventuality — just  as  she  has  taken  great 
care  in  the  creation  of  man  in  general,  much  more  than  has 
been  expended  upon  any  machine  devised  and  constructed  by 
man  himself — through  the  fact  that  this  diluted  condition  is 
only  a  temporary  one,  soon  disappearing.  When  too  much 
water  is  withdrawn  from  the  blood  by  copious  diarrhea,  as  in 
cholera,  or  through  excessive  perspiration  or  a  diet  containing 
too  little  water,  the  blood  may  become  thickened;  Grawitz, 
however,  has  shown  that  this  condition  is  also  merely  a  tem- 
porary one ;  the  inspissation  soon  passes  off  as  a  large  amount 
of  fluid  is  again  taken  up  by  the  tissues. 

While  the  absorption,  then,  of  large  quantities  of  water 
cannot  cause  any  lasting  effect,  it  is  nevertheless  not  desirable 
to  ingest  too  much  of  it,  say,  more  than  i^  liters  per  day, 
since  the  tissues  would  then  become  too  watery,  and  the  task 
of  the  blood-vessels  and  heart  be  rendered  too  difficult  through 
their  being  overloaded  with  so  much  fluid.  In  persons  in 
whom  the  heart  or  the  vessels  are  affected,  as  in  heart  disease 
or  arteriosclerosis,  this  may  bring  about  serious  results,  and 
consequently  such  persons  should  never  take  more  fluid,  soup 
and  milk  included,  than  i  to  lY^  liters  daily.  For  these  patients 
the  best  way  of  taking  fluids  is  in  the  form  of  fruit  and  fresh 
green  vegetables;  in  this  way  water  is  absorbed,  albeit  very 
gradually,  so  that  there  is  no  sudden  overloading  of  the  vessels 
and  the  heart  is  not  taxed  with  too  much  work. 


The  Fmidamental  Laivs  of  Rational  Feeding.  79 

Grawitz,  on  the  contrary,  is  of  the  opinion  that  large 
amounts  of  fluid  do  not  have  a  lasting  influence,  either  on  the 
composition  of  the  blood  or  that  of  the  gastric  juice.  When 
much  water  is  taken  with  the  meals,  the  acidity  of  the  gastric 
juice  may  be  diminished  for  a  short  time,  but  it  is  soon  restored 
to  the  normal  condition,  and,  in  regard  to  drinking  while 
eating,  I  am  personally  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  a  hygienic 
practice;  a  swallow  of  water,  as  Pawlow  has  shown,  exerts  a 
favorable  influence  upon  the  secretion  of  the  "appetite  juice," 
or  psychic  secretion  of  the  gastric  fluids,  and  many  persons 
have  no  appetite  for  their  food  if  they  cannot  at  the  same  time 
take  water  or  other  fluids.  I  consider  that  even  a  little  too 
much  water  taken  with  the  meals  is  less  injurious  than  the 
avoidance  of  it  altogether.  A  great  many  women  have  the 
very  bad  habit  of  not  drinking  at  all  while  eating,  owing  to  a 
mistaken  idea  that  this  will  keep  them  from  growing  stout. 
Now,  water-drinking  never  causes  the  production  of  fat,  as  has 
been  demonstrated  by  von  Noorden.  On  the  contrary,  with 
the  help  of  the  water  the  nutritive  substances  are  much  better 
assimilated,  while  the  appetite,  as  we  have  just  said,  is  in- 
creased. Another  great  advantage  is  that  the  bowel  functions 
may  be  assisted,  and  this,  precisely,  in  women,  who  suffer 
from  their  wrong  and  avoidable  habit  of  constipation,  is 
greatly  to  be  desired.  When  the  contents  of  the  intestines  are 
well  supplied  with  water,  the  forward  movement  of  the  feces 
is  greatly  facilitated.  One  of  the  very  great  advantages  of 
drinking  water  is  the  fact  that  the  end-products  of  the  metabolic 
process  are  washed  out,  and  this  is  more  fully  accomplished 
the  more  water  is  taken.  While  we  thus  consider  the  drinking 
of  water  as  a  very  healthy  practice,  we  must,  on  the  other  hand, 
not  forget  to  mention  that  the  drinking-water  itself  may  some- 
times be  dangerous,  even  to  life,  when  its  origin  is  not  unques- 
tionable. The  best  drinking-water  is  furnished  by  mountain 
springs;  it  does  not  contain  any  germs.     It  is  owing  to  this 


80  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

that  Vienna  is  much  less  affected  than  almost  any  other  large 
city  in  the  world  by  typhoid  fever,  which  is  so  frequently 
caused  by  impure  water.  The  water  system  of  Vienna,  which 
brings  the  water  from  afar,  cost  millions,  but  probably  millions 
were  never  spent  to  better  advantage,  or  have  never  borne 
better  fruit.  On  the  other  hand,  we  very  frequently  meet 
this  disease,  which  so  often  destroys  young  lives,  in  all  cities 
which  are  supplied  with  river  or  fountain  water.  In  addition 
to  the  purity  of  the  drinking-water,  its  chemical  properties  are 
also  most  important.  According  to  Roese's  examinations,  the 
health  of  a  population  is  enormously  influenced  by  the  com- 
position of  its  water  supply.  Not  only  does  hard  drinking- 
water  have  a  most  beneficial  influence  upon  the  teetla,  but  in 
cities  where  such  water  is  drunk  the  chest  measure  and  height 
of  the  people  is  greater,  as  well  as  their  fitness  for  military 
service,  while  where  the  water  is  soft  the  opposite  condition 
prevails.  Moreover,  the  hard  water  has  a  more  refreshing 
taste,  which  is  quite  an  important  advantage.  In  regions  where 
the  water  does  not  have  an  agreeable  taste,  or  is  not  free  from 
impurities,  the  use  of  a  not  too  highly  mineralized  water  is 
advisable.  The  mineral  waters  containing  some  carbonic  acid 
are  more  refreshing  and  also  excite  the  appetite,  especially  in 
hot  weather,  when  the  mouth  feels  dry.  Slightly  mineralized 
waters  are  well  fitted  for  daily  use  all  the  year  round.  This 
applies  in  a  less  degree,  however,  to  those  containing  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  salts,  which  are  really  to  be  considered 
as  medicinal  waters,  and  are  best  used,  for  any  length  of  time, 
in  chronic  diseased  conditions. 

4.  Hints  Concerning  Diet  in  Various  Climates  and  During 
Different  Seasons  of  the  Year,  and  for  Different  Ages 
and  Sexes. 

It  is  the  firm  opinion  of  the  writer  that  man  fares  best 
when  he  follows  the  indications  of  Nature  in  everything,  since 


The  Fundamental  Lazes  of  Rational  Feeding.  81 

she  gives  proof  in  all  her  doings  of  a  most  wonderful  perspi- 
cacity. This  good  management  is  well  shown  by  the  way  in 
which,  in  every  climate,  she  has  caused  to  grow  in  abundance 
just  the  proper  foods,  and  those  best  suited  to.  the  climate.  We 
find  the  most  juicy  fruits  in  the  hot  southern  countries,  and,  as 
a  generous  meat  diet  is  not  well  borne  in  a  hot  climate,  while 
such  a  diet,  together  with  the  heat,  abolishes  the  desire  for 
work,  she  has  provided  foods  very  rich  in  carbohydrates.  In 
the  tropical  regions,  in  Brazil,  Central  Africa,  Java,  etc.,  such 
an  abundance  of  plants  grow  which  are  replete  with  starch  that 
only  a  portion  of  the  excess  would  be  sufficient  to  amply  feed 
all  the  poor  and  hungry  of  Europe.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that 
uncivilized  and  necessarily  vegetable-eating  people  dislike  meat ; 
on  the  contrary,  and  possibly  because  of  the  lack  of  albumin 
in  their  food,  they  have  a  perfect  passion  for  meat.  Conse- 
quently, they  eat  flesh  used  nowhere  else  as  food.  The  South 
Sea  Islanders,  for  instance,  when  visited  by  Cook,  ate  their 
dogs,  which  were  fattened  for  the  purpose,  and  in  New  Zealand 
the  Maoris  even  now  eat  sharks,  which  are  elsewhere  con- 
sidered to  be  unfit  to  eat.  The  desire  of  the  Congo  negroes  for 
meat  is  also  very  great.  The  Commissary-general  of  the 
Congo  State,  Major  de  Meulemeester,  told  me  that  during  an 
expedition  his  men,  numbering  40,  lived  for  two  days  and  a 
half  on  the  meat  of  an  elephant  weighing  5000  kilos  or  more, 
and  they  liked  this  food  so  much  that  they  even  sliced  or 
scraped  the  skin  into  shavings,  which  they  also  ate.  They  even 
exchanged  a  large  part  of  their  regular  rations  for  this  skin, 
which  they  ate  in  preference !  They  consumed  so  much  of  this 
food  that  their  abdomens  projected  noticeably.  It  is  very 
probable  that  these  people  resort  to  cannibalism  only  because 
their  albumin  food  is  so  limited.  For  both  man  and  beast 
rarely  indulge  in  barbarity  when  not  driven  to  it  by  necessity, 
unless  when  cannibalism  is  practised  for  religious  motives,  as 
by  the  old  Alexicans,  the  Aztecs,  who  tore  out  the  hearts  of 


82  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

their  sacrificed  captives  of  war,  held  them  up  to  the  sun,  and 
then  cooked  the  flesh  of  their  victims  in  order  to-,  devour  it. 

Meat  foods  are  scarce  in  these  tropical  regions,  as  nature 
does  not  facilitate  their  creation.  Cattle  do  not  thrive  in  hot 
and  dry  climates  as  they  do  in  the  temperate  zone  and  in  the 
north.  In  these  regions  the  most  meat  is  eaten,  and  such  a 
diet  is  better  supported  than  in  the  hot  south.  There  the  plant 
kingdom  offers  in  abundance  the  cereals  which  are  rich  in 
albumin  and  carbohydrates,  and  the  greatest  variety  of  grain. 
In  the  north,  the  grain  which  is  richest  in  fat  (oats)  thrives 
the  best.  In  the  various  animals  and  fishes  of  the  north,  like 
the  whale,  seals,  and  the  mammals  living  in  the  cold  waters, 
and  also  in  certain  kinds  of  birds,  the  fat-layers  are  greatly 
developed;  which  fact  points  to  the  necessity  of  a  plentiful 
intake  of  fat  in  the  food  in  these  climates,  the  importance  of 
which  has  been  shown  in  the  already-mentioned  experiments 
of  Voit,  and  of  the  Duke  Karl  Theodor  of  Bavaria.  It  is  more- 
over a  well-known  fact  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  north  in- 
stinctively take  very  large  quantities  of  fat,  as  butter,  for 
instance.  In  Sweden,  much  butter  is  used  with  the  "Smorgas 
brod"  at  mealtimes,  and  I  still  remember  that  when  traveling 
by  rail  in  Dalekarlia,  from  Ins  jo  to  Leksand,  during  my  student 
days,  an  old  "Dalbonde"  (Dalekarlian  farmer)  was  continually 
taking  butter  from  a  large,  copper,  pan-like  vessel,  which  he 
spread  upon  slices  of  bread  until  more  than  half  of  the  con- 
tents were  gone.  He  never  stopped !  The  craving  for  some- 
thing rich  in  calories,  like  whisky,  for  instance,  in  the  damp, 
cold  and  wet,  foggy  climate  of  England  is  quite  readily  com- 
prehended, even  though,  with  the  majority,  the  warming  quali- 
ties seem  to  be  the  least  important.  While  in  the  north  fat  is 
so  greatly  desired  as  a  food,  many  cattle-raising  tribes  in  Africa 
can  find  no  other  use  for  it  than  to  smear  their  skins  with  it, 
as  they  also  do  with  their  oily  seed-fruits. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Eskimos  take  a  large  amount  of 


The  Fundamental  Lazes  of  Rational  Feeding.  83 

fat,  blubber,  and  marrow;  they  fairly  drink  it.  They  like  to 
eat  the  liver  of  the  walrus,  together  with  slices  of  its  lard. 
Wrangel,  in  his  Polar  expedition,  found  that  the  Jakutes  re- 
garded fat  of  all  varieties  as  a  delicacy. 

The  above  remarks  also  afford  indications  for  our  foods 
in  summer  and  in  winter.  In  the  hot  summer  we  must  cut 
down  the  meat  supply,  but  when  much  work  is  to  be  done  a 
plentiful  quantity  of  albumin  must  be  taken,  whether  it  be 
summer  or  winter,  in  the  north  or  the  south.  Vegetables  and 
fruit  should  form  an  important  part  of  our  diet  in  the  summer, 
and  when  the  heat  diminishes  the  appetite  it  is  advisable  to  take 
more  spices  or  flavorings,  in  order  to  stimulate  it.  In  winter 
this  procedure  should  be  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  since  the 
injurious  substances  contained  in  condiments  cannot,  to  the 
same  extent  as  during  warm  weather,  be  excreted  with  the 
perspiration,  but  must  be  eliminated  by  the  kidneys.  In  the 
winter  we  can  safely  indulge  in  more  meat  and  fat-containing 
foods.  The  acid  fruits,  on  the  contrary,  are  much  less  needed, 
and  dried  fruit  such  as  raisins,  dates,  etc.,  should  be  given 
preference. 

As  far  as  the  age  is  concerned,  no  meat  should  be  given 
to  little  children,  as  their  immunizing  organs,  which  have  the 
function  of  destroying  the  injurious  disintegration  products  of 
meat,  are  not  yet  developed ;  the  same  is  true  for  old  persons, 
in  whom  these  organs,  the  ductless  glands,  are  already  de- 
generated, and  their  immunizing  power  destroyed.  Milk,  with 
all  its  products,  forms  the  best  diet  in  these  two  periods  of  our 
lives,  together  with  eggs,  and  carbohydrates  in  the  form  of 
gruel,  rice,  sago,  tapioca,  finely  prepared  grains,  and  certain 
cereals ;  also  in  porridges,  although  for  the  better  development 
of  the  teeth  in  children  foods  of  a  harder  consistency  should 
also  be  given,  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  masticate  the  same. 
Meat  or  other  albumin-containing  foods  should  not  be  spared 
during  the  period  of  growth,  since  otherwise,  as  we  show  in 


84 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


various  parts  of  this  work,  serious  injury  to  the  organism  may 
result.  As  regards  the  quantity  of  the  various  food  substances 
to  be  taken  daily,  Rubner  has  given  the  following  table : — 


Albumin. 

Fat. 

Carbohy- 
drates. 

Calories. 

In  nursing  children  at  the  earliest 

8 
63 
80 
91 

17 
37 
47 

45 

37 
225 
280 
322 

344 

Children  weighing  20  kilos 

40     "     

Old,  weak  persons  of  both  sexes  . . 

1524 
1913 
2111 

Regarding  the  difference  in  food  for  adult  women  and 
men,  it  would  appear  that  women  can  do  with  less  than  men. 
It  may  be  mentioned  that  women  of  the  same  height  as  men 
weigh  less,  and  in  general  also  do  less  work.  However,  after 
a  series  of  observations  I  must  conclude  that  most  probably 
other  features,  principally  sexual,  should  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration ;  I  have  frequently  noticed  that  hard-working 
women,  masseuses,  for  instance,  of  the  same  weight,  do'  well 
with  foods  which  in  albumin  and  number  of  calories  are  far 
below  the  rations  of  men  doing  the  same  work,  and  do  not 
suffer  at  all  in  either  their  weight  or  health. 


5.  Several  Observations  Concerning  Cooking,  Especially 
that  of  Fish  and  Vegetables. 

Were  we  able  to  take  our  foods  in  the  form  in  which  they 
have  been  created  by  nature,  with  all  their  useful  components, 
and  the  important  ferments  contained  therein,  it  would  really 
form  a  complete  diet  from  which  we  could  derive  much  benefit. 
Our  jaws  and  organs,  however,  are  not  so  constituted  as  to  be 
able  to  bear  such  a  diet,  unless  we  should,  like  the  fruit-eaters, 
live  upon  fruit  alone.  While  such  a  mode  of  nourishment 
might,  for  certain  individuals,  prove  sufficient  for  a  time,  and 
undoubtedly  beneficial  as  well,  it  is  certainly  not  indicated  for 


The  Fundamental  Laws  of  Rational  Feeding.  85 

the  majority.  We  must  take  all  kinds  of  foods,  and  in  order 
that  the  nutrient  substances  contained  therein  be  exposed  to 
the  action  of  our  digestive  fluids  the  one  method  now  known 
that  enables  us  to  attain  this  end  is  cooking.  In  this  way  the 
raw  fibers  and  connective  tissues  which  offer  such  resistance 
to  our  teeth  and  digestive  fluids  are  softened,  and  the  very 
useful  cells  contained  in  them  are  rendered  useful.  On  the 
other  hand,  some  valuable  substances  are  unfortunately  lost, 
which  is  all  the  more  to  be  regretted  since  the  phenomenal  care- 
lessness and  the  lack  of  knowledge  with  which  our  foods  are 
prepared  are  responsible  for  this  unnecessary  destruction  and 
waste  of  many  of  the  most  useful  substances.  The  greatest 
crime,  however,  is  against  that  very  important  requirement  of 
our  food,  its  palatability.  It  is  quite  natural  that  in  order  to 
make  them  more  digestible  food  should  be  heated  to  the  boiling 
point,  or  even  above  it,  but  that  it  should  be  necessary  to  con- 
tinuously, i.e.,  during  a  prolonged  period,  subject  them  to  the 
highest  boiling  heat  during  their  preparation  I  am  very  much 
inclined  to  doubt.  It  is  very  certain  that  by  such  overcooking 
at  a  high  temperature,  which  is  unfortunately  the  custom  in 
many  places,  and,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  by  overpressure, 
the  foods  are  very  much  deteriorated,  especially  as  regards 
the  taste;  their  more  material  uses,  namely,  their  nutritive 
values,  also  suffer.  Very  important  constituents — and  money 
value  as  well — are  thus  simply  and  unnecessarily  thrown  out 
of  the  window,  since  the  purchase  of  a  proper  cooking  utensil 
would  obviate  all  this.  Anyone  who,  in  the  public  schools,  has 
learned  the  most  elementary  principles  of  physics  knows  that 
water  is  a  solvent,  having  the  property  of  drawing  out  sub- 
stances, and  that  hot  water  has  an  even  greater  action  in  this 
respect.  Our  cooks,  however,  do  not  in  the  least  appear  to 
take  into  consideration  this  first  principle  of  their  art,  for 
meat,  potatoes  (even  without  the  skin),  etc.,  are  left  lying  in 
water  for  some  time  before  they  are  even  placed  upon  the  fire 


86  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

to  then  be  successfully  freed,  by  slow  boiling,  of  their  most 
succulent  properties.  Certainly,  such  a  great  heat  continuing 
for  some  time  will  greatly  impair  their  quality  and  also  affect 
their  value  as  food ;  the  unfortunate  feature  of  it  all  is  the  fact 
that  it  is  not  at  all  necessary,  for,  once  the  ''cooking  heat"  has 
been  reached,  the  hard  substances  are  softened,  the  injurious 
constituents  are  destroyed,  and  the  foodstuffs  need  then  no 
longer  be  continuously  subjected  to  such  a  high  temperature. 
Very  many  foods  taste  better,  and  are  so  in  every  respect,  when 
after  a  short  period  of  high  temperature  they  are  kept  for  a 
long  time  (one  to  two  hours)  at  a  much  lower  one  than  that 
of  the  boiling  point. 

How  injurious  this  long  boiling  with  overpressure  may  be 
has  been  shown  by  Axel  Hoist  in  experiments  upon  chickens. 
When  they  were  fed  with  meat  cooked  for  one-half  hour  at 
the  boiling  point  (ioo°  C.)  they  remained  well,  but  at  iio°  C, 
with  one-half  hour's  cooking,  they  were  affected  with  neuritis. 
Boiling  for  any  length  of  time  is  particularly  injurious.  All 
foods  suffer  under  this  procedure,  but  fish  and  vegetables  espe- 
cially so.  They  are  all  soaked  out  and  lose  all  taste,  which  is 
particularly  bad  in  the  case  of  fish,  which  at  best  contains  only 
a  very  small  percentage  of  tasty  substances.  Steaming  would 
be  much  the  best  for  both  fish  and  vegetables ;  the  latter  lose 
much  of  the  substances  which  make  them  such  valuable  foods, 
namely,  the  important  nutrient  salts,  as  was  found  by  Roese,^ 
after  cooking  in  hot  water.  The  water  in  which  vegetables  are 
boiled  is  usually  thrown  away.  It  would  be  much  more  prac- 
tical to  let  them  simmer  in  a  little  water  (several  spoonfuls) 
and  then  to  let  them  steam  in  their  own  juices,  or,  better  still, 
by  adding  some  butter  in  the  so-called  English  style.  Unfor- 
tunately, this  method  is  not  used  in  England,  at  least,  not  ac- 
cording to  my  experience.  The  vegetables  which  I  ate  every- 
where in  England  were  absolutely  boiled  out  in  hot  water,  and 

1  Roese :  Loc.  cit. 


The  Fundamental  Laws  of  Rational  Feeding.  87 

had  no  taste  whatever.  The  same  was  the  case  in  the  country 
where  the  best  vegetables  are  to  be  had,  viz.,  Holland,  It  would 
consequently  be  far  better  to  cook  fish  and  vegetables,  and  all 
foods,  in  fact,  in  steam  instead  of  in  water;  the  very  best 
method,  however,  is  the  cooking  in  closed  vessels,  with  a  water- 
containing  receptacle  below ;  in  this  way  the  food  does  not 
come  into  contact  with  either  water  or  steam,  the  aroma  is 
thus  retained,  the  food  has  a  much  better  taste,  meat  becomes 
softer  and  more  juicy,  the  food  substances  retain  their  color 
and  shape,  and  all  are  much  more  appetizing.  Even  though, 
as  was  found  at  the  International  Food  Congress  by  Carcas- 
sagne  and  Maurel,  stewing  in  butter  causes  considerable  less 
loss  of  the  nutrient  salts,  cooking  vegetables  by  steam  is  ad- 
vantageous in  that  it  insures  the  retention  of  the  nitrogenous 
extractives  as  well  as  the  carbohydrates  and  albumins. 

The  art  of  cooking  is  therefore  of  the  greatest  consequence 
for  our  nourishment,  and  consequently  for  our  thriving  both 
in  sickness  and  in  health.  We  see,  thus,  the  importance  of  the 
rational  method  of  cooking  in  the  care  of  the  sick.  In  recogni- 
tion of  this  fact,  H.  Strauss,  in  Berlin,  has  established  a  course 
of  cooking  for  physicians,  which  has  been  very  well  attended. 
Unfortunately,  sufficient  means  are  not  always  at  hand  for  the 
employment  of  a  number  of  well-informed  persons  necessary 
for  the  proper  management  of  a  large  kitchen ;  the  difficulty  of 
properly  educating  the  kitchen  staff  is  also  an  obstacle.  In  both 
civil  and  military  hospitals,  however,  these  difficulties  might 
be  overcome  in  the  following  way:  In  England  and  in 
America  the  daughters  of  the  upper  classes  very  often  devote 
themselves  to  nursing,  and  probably  in  no  other  country  in  the 
world  does  this  field  of  work  occupy  the  same  standing  as  in 
those  countries.  In  this  country  (Austria)  the  nuns  and 
trained  nurses  form  a  very  valuable  personnel,  but  they  are 
not  found  in  the  military  hospitals,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  women  are  much  more  efficient  nurses  than  men.     Since 


S8  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

the  new  movement  of  women's  suffrage  claims  for  them  the 
same  rights  as  for  men,  the  women  might  also  be  retained  for 
this  service,  but  they  would  then  have  to  proclaim  their  alle- 
giance to  the  service  of  their  country  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
men ;  this  could  be  carried  out  in  the  form  of  one  year's  service, 
one-half  of  which  would  be  spent  in  the  nursing  department  of 
the  military  hospitals,  and  the  other  half  in  the  kitchens  of 
barracks  and  other  public  establishments.  This  would  not  cost 
the  State  any  more,  if  the  daughters  of  the  upper  classes  were 
obliged  to  defray  their  own  expenses.  The  priceless  benefits 
derived  from  the  proper  care  of  the  men  would  more  than 
counterbalance  the  expenses  incurred  in  providing  for  those 
women  who  would  have  to  be  paid,  when  the  much  better 
health  of  the  soldiers,  the  more  rapid  recovery  of  the  patients, 
and  the  consequent  shorter  stay  in  the  hospital  are  taken  into 
consideration.  I  am  perhaps  rather  in  advance  of  the  times  in 
advocating  this  plan,  but  it  will  probably  be  realized  at  some 
future  time.  In  times  of  war  the  usefulness  and  activity  of 
such  a  well-nourished  and  well-cared-for  army  would  be  very 
great,  and  the  health  of  the  people  in  general  would  also  be 
vastly  better,  if  every  wife  not  only  of  a  rich  man,  but  also 
of  a  working  man,  would  have  undergone  a  course  of  previous 
training,  which  would  acquaint  her  with  the  practical  value  of 
foods,  etc.  It  would  be  well,  too,  if  two  or  three  times  each 
week  an  hour  were  devoted  to  cooking  in  every  school  for 
girls,  with  practical  teaching  in  regard  to  the  various  foods. 
Proper  cooking  is  the  basis  of  all  dietetic  science.  The  most 
valuable  nutrient  substance  is  of  no  use  to  us  when  not  properly 
prepared. 

6.  Hints  upon  the  Mode  of  Eating,  and  the  Rational 
Diznsion  of  Meals. 

When  one  sits  down  to  a  meal  he  should  not  be  restricted 
or  harassed  in  any  way,  for  just  as  a  singer  will  be  unable  to 


The  Fundamental  Lazes  of  Rational  Feeding.         89 

sing  well  when  not  in  the  humor  for  doing  so  will  our  nutrition 
fail  to  progress  satisfactorily  when  we  are  not  well  disposed 
for  it.  When  a  man  eats  he  is  satisfying  a  craving,  that  of 
hunger;  and  just  as  is  the  case  in  all  other  impulses,  he  must, 
when  eating,  devote  his  entire  attention  to  it.  In  a  measure, 
eating  is  a  sort  of  religious  procedure,  upon  which  depends 
the  health  and  progress  of  mankind. 

This  was  well  known  to  the  ancients,  and  they  invested 
the  act  of  eating  with  a  sort  of  sanctity,  as  was  also  the  case  in 
the  accomplishment  of  the  other  impulses  of  life,  pertaining  to 
its  origin  and  maintenance.  Some  religions  require  that  their 
high  priests  shall  eat  alone,  as  does  the  Dalai  Lama  in  Thibet, 
and  the  same  custom  is  observed  by  some  oriental  potentates. 
I  saw  this  myself  when,  several  years  ago,  I  was  treating  the 
Shah  Muzaffer  Eddin,  who  was  served  by  his  courtiers,  but 
sat  alone  at  table. 

While  eating,  and  thus  accomplishing  a  function  of  nature, 
neither  man  nor  beast  should  be  disturbed.  The  most  good- 
natured  dog  will  growl  when  disturbed  while  eating,  and  he 
has  reason  to  do  so,  for  Pawlow  has  shown  that  when  a  dog 
is  thus  disturbed,  or  when  his  attention  has  simply  been 
diverted,  the  process  of  digestion,  both  in  the  stomach  and  in 
the  intestine,  is  disturbed,  and  it  takes  a  little  while  to  set  it  in 
order  again.  Much  less  should  a  person  be  disturbed,  and  it 
ought  to  be  made  a  law  that  no  master  should  ever  disturb 
his  employes  during  their  mealtime,  or  require  them  to  serve  a 
customer,  especially  when  taking  into  consideration  their  frugal 
meal  and  the  rapidity  with  which  it  is  consumed.  A  consider- 
ate person  will  not  even  disturb  a  cab-horse  when  he  sees  it 
devouring  its  meal  at  the  cab-stand ;  he  would  rather  step  into 
another  cab. 

Rapid  eating  is  very  injurious.  An  animal  cannot  re- 
strain itself,  and  I  saw  a  fox-terrier,  before  his  food  had  been 
placed  on  the  ground,  leap  into  the  air  to  seize  it,  and  commence 


90  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

at  once  to  devour  it.  He  could  not  wait  patiently  until  his 
food  had  been  put  down.  Owing  to  their  great  eagerness  and 
their  appetite,  animals  secrete  so  much  gastric  juice  that  they 
are  able  to  digest  insufficiently  masticated  foods,  Man,  how- 
ever, does  not  have  the  same  gastric  juice  as  the  hog  or  dog, 
which  would  enable  him  to  digest  so  easily ;  consequently,  with 
him,,  much  depends  upon  the  proper  chewing  of  the  food. 

We  must  therefore  eat  slowly,  and,  above  all,  sufficiently 
masticate  the  food.  This  causes  more  saliva  to  be  secreted, 
and  the  digestion  of  the  food,  especially  that  of  a  very  starchy 
nature,  is  greatly  facilitated;  the  food  substances  are  also 
divided  into  such  small  parts  that  the  stomach  and  intestines 
have  less  work  to  perform.  According  to  Horace  Fletcher,  the 
food  should  be  masticated  until  it  has  no  more  taste.  We  owe 
to  the  works  of  Fletcher,  van  Summeren,  and  Harry  Campbell 
our  knowledge  of  the  great  importance  of  a  thorough  mastica- 
tion of  our  food  for  our  welfare  and  the  maintenance  of  our 
health.  We  should  only  swallow  that  which  can  be  dissolved 
in  the  mouth  or  can  be  finely  masticated ;  all  the  rest  had  much 
better  be  removed  from  the  mouth  than  swallowed. 

It  is  a  very  unhygienic  practice  to  swallow  one's  food  as 
hot  as  it  can  be  borne.  One  could  learn  much  in  this  respect 
from  the  dog.  This  sensible  animal  will  not  touch  food  which 
is  hot,  even  when  he  is  hungry,  but  will  wait  until  it  has  cooled. 
How  often  do  we  burn  our  tongues  with  hot  soups,  and  the 
whitish  color  of  the  pharynx,  fauces,  etc.,  shows  that  one  has 
frequently  taken  such  hot  foods.  Hot  drinks,  too,  have  an 
injurious  effect  upon  the  stomach,  as  has  been  demonstrated  by 
Boas.  According  to  the  experiments  of  Best  and  Cohnheim, 
however,  this,  as  well  as  the  drinking  of  ice-water,  has  but 
little  disturbing  effect  upon  healthy  persons. 

A  very  important  rule  in  eating  is  to  wait  until  one  has 
an  appetite.  It  happens  very  often,  however,  that  when  in 
consequence  of  professional  duties  or  bodily  exertions  there  is 


The  Fundamental  Laws  of  Rational  Feeding.  91 

no  particular  appetite  it  comes  gradually  after  one  has  begun 
to  eat,  in  accordance  with  the  old  French  saying,  "rappetit 
vient  en  mangcant."  Bouillon,  or  meat  extract,  taken  with  a 
piece  of  bread  will  bring  about  this  result,  or  what  is  still  more 
simple,  and  not  in  the  least  injurious  for  anyone,  a  glass  of 
fresh,  cold  water.  In  order  that  the  appetite  should  be  aroused, 
it  is  desirable  to  have  a  sufficiently  long  interval  between  the 
meals.  When  the  breakfast  is  very  frugal  and  limited  in 
quantity,  as  is,  unfortunately,  the  custom  in  this  region,  con- 
sisting only  of  coffee  and  a  roll,  the  midday  meal  should 
come  about  four  hours  later,  not  later  than  at  12  o'clock, 
and,  six  or  seven  hours  later,  according  as  the  midday  meal  has 
been  more  or  less  plentiful,  the  evening  meal  should  be  taken. 
When,  however,  we  consider  that  after  the  supper,  which  takes 
place,  say,  at  7  o'clock,  and  which,  with  us,  is  also  not  to  say 
abundant,  nothing  further  is  taken  until  7  or  8  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  the  stomach  remaining  empty  during  twelve  or  thir- 
teen hours,  the  perversity  of  our  habit  of  taking  such  a  light 
breakfast  appears  in  its  true  light.  It  would  certainly  be  more 
to  the  purpose  to  eat  more  at  breakfast,  and  all  the  more  so 
since  very  frequently  the  greatest  amount  of  work  is  done  im- 
mediately after  that  meal.  It  is  certainly  the  main  object  of 
our  food  to  furnish  fuel  for  our  machine  in  its  work,  be  it 
bodily  or  mental ;  to  replace  lost  tissues,  and  to  protect  us 
against  disease.  To  eat  little  and  to  work  hard  with  an  empty 
stomach — very  often  mental  work  is  more  difficult  than  the 
bodily — certainly  does  not  conform  to  the  main  purpose  of  our 
diet,  and  in  growing  children,  who  are  to  build  up  new  tissues, 
is  certainly  most  dangerous.  Even  though  children  are  some- 
times given  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter  between  the  meals,  and 
adults,  driven  by  hunger,  indulge  in  rather  objectionable  alco- 
holic drinks  and — in  German  countries — sausage,  possibly  no 
longer  very  fresh,  this  certainly  does  not  afford  any  real  help. 
And  since  in  some  cities  the  midday  meal  is  taken  at  i  o'clock, 


92  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

and  in  Berlin  'even  at  half-past  i,  the  injurious  effect  of  such  a 
sparing,  unhygienic  breakfast  becomes  most  evident.  It  is 
therefore  most  rational  to  imitate  the  habit  of  the  English  and 
Americans,  and  to  eat  a  better  breakfast — not  meat,  however, 
but  oatmeal  porridge  and  an  Q:gg,  or,  in  the  case  of  fatiguing 
work,  two,  with  pancakes  made  of  cereals,  butter,  and  syrup  or 
fruit  jam.  In  general,  it  is  an  important  rule,  in  regard  to  our 
diet,  to  regulate  the  amount  of  food  which  we  take  at  meals 
according  to  the  work  we  are  to  do.  It  is  also  much  better  to 
take  our  principal  meal,  as  is  frequently  done  in  France,  Hol- 
land, England,  and  America,  after  the  work  has  been  accom- 
plished and  not  before  it,  especially  in  the  case  of  a  mixed 
diet,  with  meat,  since  after  a  considerable  proportion  of  meat 
has  been  eaten  one  is  apt  to  feel  rather  heavy  and  uninclined  to 
work.  In  regard  to  moving  about  after  meals,  the  English 
saying,  "After  dinner  sit  awhile,  after  supper  walk  a  mile," 
should  be  obeyed. 

Before  breakfast  one  should  take  i  or  2  oranges  or  a  half 
or  the  whole  of  a  grapefruit  (see  Chapter  IV)  ;  when  available 
cherries  may  also  be  taken,  or  honey  or  fruit  jams.  For  the 
principal  meal,  vegetable  soup,  meat,  or  an  omelet ;  scrambled 
eggs,  or  eggs  prepared  with  vegetables ;  potatoes  or  some  other 
food  rich  in  starch ;  some  green  vegetables ;  stewed  fruit,  fresh 
in  summer  or  dried  in  winter.  For  the  evening  meal,  or — 
when  the  principal  meal  is  taken  in  the  evening — at  noontime, 
vegetable  soup,  eggs  prepared  in  various  ways,  cheese,  starchy 
foods,  vegetables,  stewed  or  fresh  fruit.  At  the  midday  and 
evening  meals,  particularly  with  the  milk-egg-vegetable  diet, 
plenty  of  the  former  should  be  taken.  The  evening  meal 
should  not  be  taken  later  than  6  or  half-past,  or  7  at  latest, 
and  in  any  case  at  least  three  hours  before  going  to  bed.  Those 
who  wish  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  very  early  rising,  at  4  or 
5  o'clock,  to  which  I  have  referred  in  my  book  on  "Old  Age 
Deferred,"  should  not  take  their  principal  meal  later  than  at 


The  Fundamental  Lazvs  of  Rational  Feeding.  93 

1 1  o'clock.  We  would  enjoy  much  more  of  the  daylight  in 
summer  if  we  would  adopt  this  beneficial  habit.  This,  how- 
ever, could  only  be  properly  carried  out  provided  all  factors 
would  conform  to  it,  as  in  Carlsbad,  where  the  theaters  and 
concerts  are  over  at  9  o'clock,  and  one  goes  to  bed  at  10  or 
half-past.  How  many  hours  we  could  then  work !  I  know,  by 
personal  experience,  that  from  4  to  8  o'clock  in  the  morning 
a  great  deal  of  work  can  be  done,  the  mind  being  then  fresh 
and  unwearied. 


CHAPTER  III. 
INJURIOUS  MODES  OF  FEEDING. 

I.   The  Injurious  Effect  of  a  One-sided  Diet. 

The  celebrated  English  physician,  Harvey,  who  lived  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  treated  one  of  his  patients,  suffering 
from  obesity,  by  a  diet  consisting  almost  exclusively  of  meat, 
that  is  to  say,  albumin.  As  a  result  of  this,  the  patient  became 
much  thinner.  It  should  be  mentioned,  however,  that  such  a 
diet,  which  since  then  has  often  been  resorted  to  in  obesity, 
causes  a  series  of  unpleasant  symptoms  in  addition  to  the  de- 
cided loss  of  flesh,  to  wit,  fatigue,  faintness,  perspiration, 
nervous  excitability,  etc. 

Such  a  one-sided  meat  diet  always  brings  about  a  result 
which  in  every  rational  diet  is  to  be  carefully  avoided,  namely, 
a  diminution  of  the  amount  of  albumin  in  the  body.  Such  a 
pronounced  loss  of  bodily  albumin  may  often  have  very  serious 
consequences.  These  generally  occur,  as  experiments  have 
shown,  when  man  or  animals  are  restricted  to  an  albumin-con- 
taining food  to  the  exclusion  of  both  carbohydrates  and  fats. 
Even  when  large  quantities  of  albumin  are  administered  there 
will  be  a  very  considerable  loss  of  albumin,  and  when  dogs 
are  fed  upon  such  a  diet  it  is  not  possible  to  keep  up  their 
nitrogen  balance.  This  occurs  also  when  fats  have  been  ex- 
cluded from  the  nourishment.  It  is  only  by  administering 
carbohydrates  that  this  is  possible.  When  these  are  absent 
there  will  be  a  considerable  loss  of  flesh.  In  diabetic  patients, 
after  such  a  faulty,  exclusively  meat  and  fat  diet,  there  will  be 
a  decided  aggravation  of  the  condition,  together  with  the  for- 
mation of  acetone  bodies,  and  very  frequently  such  patients 
(94) 


Injurious  Modes   of  Feeding.  95 

die  in  coma,  owing  to  acid  poisoning.  When,  however,  carbo- 
hydrates are  added  to  the  diet,  a  great  improvement  will  often 
be  noticed. 

An  almost  exclusive  carbohydrate  diet,  that  is  to  say,  a 
starchy  diet,  may  also  give  rise  to  bad  results.  When  starch 
is  taken  in  too  large  quantities,  acid  fermentation  takes  place 
in  the  intestinal  canal  and  intestinal  peristalsis  is  greatly  in- 
creased. In  consequence  the  food  is  very  soon  excreted  from 
the  intestine  without  having  been  absorbed  in  the  fluids  of  the 
body,  and  emaciation  will  result.  Persons  who  nourish  them- 
selves almost  exclusively  upon  carbohydrates,  as  rice,  for  in- 
stance, like  the  poor  Hindoos,  are,  as  a  rule,  very  thin.  With 
Europeans,  too,  who  advocate  a  purely  vegetable  diet,  the  same 
thing  will  be  observed.  Since  in  this  way  too  little  albumin  is 
taken,  and  very  often  fat  as  well,  this  should  also  be  considered 
a  one-sided  diet. 

By  a  one-sided  diet  I  mean  one  which  is  almost  entirely 
or  at  least  principally  composed  of  one  of  the  three  main  groups 
of  foods,  albumins,  carbohydrates,  or  fats,  and  in  w^iich  the 
other  two  are  absent,  or  one  absent  and  the  other  but  slightly 
represented.  In  this  sense  the  purely  vegetable  diet  is  certainly 
one-sided,  for,  although  it  may  sometimes,  though  not  very 
often,  contain  a  fair  percentage  of  carbohydrates,  there  is 
almost  always  much  too  little  albumin.  When  the  albumin  is 
not  sufficiently  represented,  more  fat  should  be  taken;  this, 
however,  is  rarely  done  by  vegetarians. 

When  anyone  lives  solely  upon  plant  food,  the  assimilation 
of  the  food  substances  by  means  of  the  intestine  is  but  poorly 
accomplished.  Atwater,  basing  himself  upon  his  numerous 
experiments,  found  that  with  a  purely  vegetable  diet  up  to 
28.26  per  cent,  of  the  nitrogenous  substance  of  the  food  was 
eliminated  unused.  When  a  moderate  amount  of  animal  food 
was  added  assimilation  was  considerably  improved,  only  11.59 
per  cent,  being  lost.    With  a  plentiful  supply  of  animal  food, 


96  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

only  8.88  per  cent,  was  lost.  According  to  the  experiments  of 
Atwater,  it  is  impossible  to  retain  the  nitrogen  balance  with 
vegetable  foods  only. 

Although  milk  contains  all  three  of  the  main  nutrient 
groups  in  the  proper  proportions,  we  must,  nevertheless,  con- 
sider a  diet  consisting  of  milk  alone  as  one-sided,  since  only 
one  kind  of  food  is  taken.  An  adult  person  can  get  on  very 
well  with  milk  only  during  a  certain  time,  say  four  to  six 
weeks;  but  when  persisted  in,  this  mode  of  nourishment  is 
quite  as  injurious  as  any  other  one-sided  diet.  Milk,  when 
taken  alone,  is  not  fully  assimilated;  about  i8  per  cent,  of  the 
food  is  lost  through  faulty  assimilation.  As  much  as  4  quarts 
of  milk  would  have  to  be  taken  daily  to  thrive  upon  this  diet. 
When  cheese  or  bread  is  added,  the  assimilation  is  much  better. 
The  diet  is  then  no  longer  one-sided,  and  has  no  injurious 
results ;  on  the  contrary,  persons  who  are  heroic  enough  to  live 
in  this  way,  or  who  are  compelled  by  circumstances  to  do  so, 
may  be  sure  of  a  long  life.  As  I  have  stated  in  my  book  on 
"Old  Age  Deferred,"  it  has  happened  that  such  persons  have 
lived  to  be  over  100  years  old. 

A  one-sided  diet,  consisting  of  the  same  thing  day  after 
day,  may  also  be  poorly  assimilated  for  the  simple  reason  that 
the  sameness  of  the  diet  does  not  in  the  least  excite  the  appe- 
tite, and  that,  as  a  result,  the  psychic  gastric  juice  as  well  as 
the  juices  of  the  pancreatic  glands  are  excreted  in  very  small 
quantities,  thus  causing  the  digestive  process  to  suffer.  It  is 
only  in  certain  diseases  that  such  a  one-sided  diet  may  be  of 
use,  as,  for  instance,  in  diabetes;  even  here  it  will  be  found 
that  the  addition  of  other  vegetables  to  a  diet  of  potatoes  or 
oats  will  cause  the  sugar  to  diminish. 

For  a  normal  person  a  one-sided  diet  is  not  in  any  way 
advisable,  as  it  has  the  same  effect  as  insufficient  nutrition,  the 
injurious  effects  of  which  will  be  dealt  with  in  the  next  chapter. 


Injurious  Modes   of   Feeding.  97 


2.  The  Consequences  of  Harmful  and  InsufUciait  Diet. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  house  animals,  as  poultry, 
for  instance,  very  readily  become  diseased  when  they  are  not 
sufficiently  or  properly  fed.  In  animals  living  in  the  open  the 
same  thing-  is  often  observed.  The  hazel  hen,  or  heath  pout,  for 
instance,  is  greatly  endangered  by  certain  small  organisms,  the 
Trichostrongyliis  gracilis.  It  was  noticed  that,  in  the  years 
during  which  they  found  plenty  of  food,  they  were  much  more 
free  from  these  pests,  and  their  number  in  the  hunting  season 
was  much  greater  than  at  times  when  their  food  was  scarce. 

The  same  thing  will  be  noticed  in  man.  -In  times  of 
famine  epidemics  followed  as  a  rule,  as  we  have  seen  in  history. 
This  is  also  true  of  the  individual.  The  poor,  who  are  not  able 
to  nourish  themselves  sufficiently,  are  much  more  apt  to  become 
the  prey  of  a  scourage,  like  tuberculosis,  for  instance,  than  the 
well-fed  people  of  the  upper  classes.  What  a  difference  be- 
tween the  pale  and  thin  tailor's  apprentice  and  the  robust 
butcher-boy,  and  how  the  pale  cheeks  of  the  poor  little  sewing- 
girl  contrast  with  the  rosy  ones  of  the  girl  in  the  meat  and 
sausage  shops! 

How  much  better  it  would  be  for  the  working  population 
— I  mean  that  of  the  large  cities — to  live  in  the  country  and  till 
the  ground!  The  food  of  the  former  is  often  much  poorer 
and  insufficient  for  the  work  they  have  to  do.  Their  nutrition 
is  inadequate.  Meat  is  so  dear  at  present  that  they  can  seldom 
buy  any,  and  milk  and  cheese  are  also  expensive  and  are  but 
poorly  represented  in  their  diet.  They  are  consequently  re- 
stricted to  the  cereals  as  a  general  thing.  In  the  latter,  nourish- 
ing constituents  are  inclosed  in  thick  husks,  which  are  digested 
with  difficulty,  so  that,  as  in  rye  bread,  as  much  as  40  per 
cent,  of  the  so  important  albumin  is  sometimes  lost.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  that  such  mode  of  feeding  is  often  insuffi- 
cient, and  predisposes  to  malnutrition. 

7 


Health  Throns.h  Rational  Diet. 


By  malnutrition  we  mean  the  inadequate  intake  of  nutrient 
values  in  the  body.  Such  a  faulty  manner  of  feeding  is  espe- 
cially injurious  when  an  insufficient  cjuantity  of  albumin  is  ab- 
sorbed. Albumin  is  particularly  necessary  during  the  period 
of  growth,  since  the  building-stones  for  the  elaboration  of  the 
bodily  structure  are  mainly  formed  by  an  albuminous  diet. 
For  the  adult  as  well  a  sufficient  intake;  of  albumin  is  neces- 
sary, especially  when,  owing  to  debilitating  diseases,  body  sub- 
stances have  been  lost  which  can  only  be  replaced  by  an  albu- 
minous diet.  Also  in  the  normal  person  many  cells  are  lost 
during  the  accomplishment  of  the  various  bodily  functions, 
i.e.,  the  digestion,  frequent  coition,  the  daily  shedding  of  the 
epithelium,  etc. ;  and  since  all  these  cells  must  be  renewed,  the 
albumin  diet  must  make  up  for  the  losses.  When  the  laborer 
over  and  over  again  strikes  his  hammer  upon  the  anvil,  and 
continues  to  do  this  for  a  long  time,  he  acquires  a  great  mus- 
cular growth ;  the  working  muscles  are  better  nourished  owing 
to  the  continuous  flow  of  blood  into  them,  they  increase  in 
volume,  and  this  muscular  development  can  then  only  be  suc- 
cessfully supported  by  the  albumin.  The  labor  itself  is  at  the 
expense  of  the  glycogen,  and  is  thus  carried  on  by  the  carbohy- 
drates; the  glycogen  may,  however,  have  its  origin  in  the 
albumin,  i.e.,  in  the  carbohydrate  molecules  merged  with  it. 

According  to  Pettenkoffer  and  Voit,  more  oxygen  is  con- 
sumed during  hard  labor  and  more  carbonic  acid  is  given  off. 
The  metabolic  process  is  activated ;  and  as  a  working  machine 
requires  more  fuel  than  one  which  is  standing  still,  so  the 
laborer  must  also  take  more  food. 

In  cold'  weather,  also,  more  food  is  required.  Voit  and 
the  Duke  Karl  Ludwig  of  Bavaria  state  that  in  the  cold  season 
more  oxygen  is  absorbed  and  more  carbonic  acid  given  off. 
When  the  poor  wear  only  thin  clothing  they  give  off  much 
heat  and  are  obliged  to  make  up  that  much  more.  They  thus 
require  to  be  better  nourished  and  must  absorb  more  fat,  since 


Injurious  Modes   of  Feeding.  99 

more  fat  is  consumed.  It  is  related  of  the  North  Pole  explorers 
that  when  they  had  eaten  heartily  they  felt  very  comfortable 
in  their  sleeping  bags,  but  when  they  had  not  much  to  eat  they 
were  shivering  and  freezing,  no  matter  how  well  wrapped  up 
they  were. 

When,  therefore,  a  poor  working  man  has  but  little  to 
eat,  and  is  besides  thinly  clad,  he  will  almost  always  feel  hungry 
while  at  work,  and  will  readily  fall  a  prey  to  infectious  dis- 
eases. How  much  more  is  this  the  case  among  the  children  of 
the  poor,  who  are  in  the  growing  stage,  and  have  to  do  mental 
work  at  school,  or,  having  reached  the  age  of  14,  and  even 
before  then  in  some  States,  are  obliged  to  work  in  factories! 
How  necessary  it  is  to  provide  these  poor  school  children  with 
warm  clothes  in  winter,  and,  above  all,  to  give  them  meat, 
milk,  and  eggs,  for  it  is  principally  among  them  that  the  disease 
of  the  poor  (tuberculosis)  finds  the  most  victims!  In  order 
that  the  albumin  intake  be  sufficient,  at  least  50  grams  daily 
should  be  taken. 

When  children  are  given  but  a  small  amount  of  albumin 
a  long  time,  the  deficient  nutrition  involved  may  give  rise  to 
very  serious  results,  Munk,  Rosenheim,  and  Jaegerroos  found 
that  in  dogs  the  food  of  which  contained  but  little  albumin  the 
processes  of  digestion  and  assimilation  were  very  poorly  car- 
ried out.  They  lost  fat  to  the  extent  of  28  per  cent.,  and  of  the 
nitrogen  twice  or  three  times  the  normal  amount.  Jaegerroos's 
dogs  very  easily  fell  prey  to  infectious  diseases  and  finally 
died.  Intestinal  putrefaction  is  also  increased  by  underfeeding 
(Jaffe). 

The  injurious  effect  of  underfeeding  upon  the  formation 
and  the  composition  of  the  blood  is  of  the  greatest  importance. 
We  have  already  mentioned  that  deficient  nourishment  has  an 
injurious  action  in  this  connection ;  also  that  this  is  especially 
the  case  during  great  bodily  exertion.  We  may  also  mention 
that  Munk  found  a  general  increase  of  the  water  in  the  tissues 


100  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

with  insufficient  nourishment.  According  to  Grawitz,  this  is 
due  to  the  diminution  of  the  albumin  content  of  the  plasma. 
I  also  deem  it  important  to  quote  word  for  word  the  statement 
of  the  hematologist,  Grawitz.^  He  says :  ''I  believe  that  I  am 
justified  in  concluding,  in  accordance  with  the  views  of  older 
authors,  that  insufficient  and  poorly  combined  foods  lead  to 
anemia,  and  this  most  particularly  when  heavy  bodily  labor  is 
being  carried  on.  This  is  first  characterized  by  a  diminution 
of  the  albumin  content  of  the  serum,  but  in  the  later  stages 
there  is  undoubtedly  an  alteration  of  the  red  blood-corpuscles, 
since  the  full  complete  integrity  of  the  cells  would  ultimately 
become  impossible,  in  view  of  the  hydremic  condition  of  the 
serum," 

According  to  Hoesslin's  experiments  on  dogs,  chronic 
undernutrition,  when  continued  for  months,  caused  a  diminu- 
tion of  the  quantity  of  blood  in  general.  According  to  Munk, 
the  quantity  of  blood  in  man  is  also  diminished,  and  the 
muscles  and  organs  are  poorly  supplied  or  underfed,  thus 
developing  bloodless  muscles  and  lean  individuals.  Panner 
states  that  starvation  caused  a  diminution  of  the  blood  content 
of  the  body. 

All  this  may  bring  about  most  serious  results,  since  our 
immunity  against  infectious  diseases  depends,  as  has  been 
shown  by  Metchnikoff  and  others,  upon  the  formation  and 
composition  of  the  blood,  the  elements  of  which  protect  us 
against  the  various  bacteria.  It  is  therefore  easy  to  understand 
why  chronically  underfed  persons  easily  become  the  prey  of 
contagious  diseases. 

I  would  like  to  cite  here,  as  an  instructive  example,  the 
fact  that  races  which  feed  principally  upon  vegetables  and  are 
poorly  nourished  have  a  comparatively  short  life.  The 
Cameroon  negroes,   says   Hans  Meyer,^   live  on   an  average 

1  Grawitz  :   Loc.  cit.,  S.  246. 

2 Hans  Meyer:  "Das  Deutsche  Kolonialreich,"  Leipzig  und  Wien, 
1910,  S.  483. 


Injurious  Modes  of  Feeding.  101 

about  40  years.  Their  food  is  mainly  vegetable  and  consists 
of  the  starchy  roots  of  various  Euphorbiaceae  and  Marantas, 
and  of  millet.  (The  assimilation  of  the  latter,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  is  imperfect.)  In  contrast  with  these  vegetarian 
Cameroon  negroes  is  another  African  tribe,  the  Masai,  of 
whom  we  have  already  spoken.  They  live  upon  a  generous 
diet.  The  warriors  feed  only  upon  meat,  blood,  and  milk ;  the 
rest  of  the  people  eat  many  vegetables,  but  also  take  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  milk  and  meat.  Captain  Merker,  in  his  compre- 
hensive monograph  concerning  this  tribe,^  states  the  instructive 
facts  that  the  Masais  live  to  a  comparatively  old  age,  that 
sickness  rarely  occurs  among  them,  and  is  rapidly  cured. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  a  plentiful,  that  is  to  say,  a 
sufficiently  ample,  diet  is  a  great  protection  for  us.  When  we 
consider  that  we  are  constantly,  by  day  and  by  night,  subjected 
to  the  inroads  of  millions  of  bacteria,  it  is  very  foolish  to  facili- 
tate their  entrance  into  our  tissues  by  insufficient  nourishment. 
Especial  care  should  be  taken,  therefore,  that  every  one,  ac- 
cording to  his  size  and  constitution,  have  the  proper  amount 
of  food,  and  especially  a  sufficient  quantity  of  albumin.  Of  all 
the  various  forms  of  bacteria  to  which  our  organism  is  vulner- 
able, the  greatest  danger  of  infection  lies  in  the  bacillus  of 
tuberculosis,  and  against  this  a  sufficiently  generous  diet,  as  we 
shall  show  in  the  next  chapter,  will  best  protect  us. 

3.  Tuhercidosis  as  a  Consequence  of  Deficient  Nutrition,  and 
its  Prevention  by  Adequate  Nourishment. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  intelligent  anthropoid 
apes  which  are  exhibited  in  the  A^arious  places  of  entertain- 
ment all  die  of  tuberculosis,  as  do  nearly  all  monkeys  which 
are  kept  in  Europe.  It  is  rare  that  any  of  them  die  of  any 
other  disease. 


1  "Die  Masai,"  loc.  cit.,  \,  243. 


102  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

This  strange  fact  has  excited  my  interest  since  a  long 
time,  and  several  years  ago,  in  London,  I  studied  the  monkeys 
in  a  circus,  with  a  view  to  elucidating  this  particular  matter. 
As  a  result  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  principal  reason 
was  a  faulty  method  of  nutrition.  The  monkeys  are  originally 
vegetarians,  and,  bearing  this  in  mind,  their  owners  also  feed 
them  upon  vegetables,  principally  carrots,  fruits,  etc.  Such  a 
mode  of  feeding  would  undoubtedly  be  sufficient  in  the  tropical 
climates  of  the  Congo  or  of  Brazil,  but  is  not  in  our  northern 
climates.  Here  they  require  richer  foods  containing  more 
albumin  and  fats,  but,  since  such  a  diet  costs  more,  the  poor 
monkeys  are  deprived  of  it,  and  consequently  fall  an  easy  prey 
to  tuberculosis, 

I  might  add  that  the  few  monkeys  which  were  given  milk 
and  meat  were  in  much  better  condition,  and  did  not  contract 
tuberculosis.  The  circus  chimpanzees  of  Hagenbeck,  and  Max 
and  Moritz,  which  are  now  being  exhibited  in  various  places, 
are  fed  by  their  trainer,  Mr.  Castan,  upon  a  mixed  diet,  and,  as 
I  lately  had  the  opportunity  to  convince  myself,  are  in  very 
good  health. 

A  necessary  factor  in  the  development  of  tuberculosis  is 
the  entrance  of  the  tubercle  bacilli  into  our  bodies.  We  fre- 
quently inhale  millions  of  bacilli — especially  when  we  find 
ourselves  in  the  very  impure  air  of  an  overfilled  Berlin  cafe, 
or  in  a  moving-picture  theater  heated  by  steam — and  yet  do 
not  contract  tuberculosis.  Other  factors  must  therefore  be 
essential.  An  important  one  is  the  inherited  tendency  to  the 
disease.  We  very  often  see  that  the  children  of  tuberculous 
parents  do,  nevertheless,  remain  immune  when  they  grow  up 
under  favorable  conditions,  are  in  the  open  air  a  great  deal, 
and  eat  plenty  of  good  food. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  observe  that  persons  having  no 
hereditary  tendencies  very  easily  acquire  tuberculosis  when 
they  live  in  close  rooms  and  are,  in  addition,  poorly  fed;  as. 


Injurious  Modes   of  Feeding.  103 

for  instance,  the  sewing  girls  and  dressmakers'  assistants,  etc. 
Of  these  two  factors  I  would  lay  the  greatest  blame  upon  the 
deficient  mode  of  nourishment.  If  the  poor  sewing  girl  could 
have  the  same  food  as  her  employer,  the  bad  air  of  the  work- 
room would  affect  her  much  less ;  since,  however,  her  diet  con- 
sists principally  of  cakes,  sweets,  and  some  few  not  very 
nutritious  vegetables,  and  very  rarely  or  perhaps  never  con- 
tains a  sufficient  amount  of  albumin  (sausage  or  meat),  the 
poor  child  becomes  consumptive.  That  tuberculosis  often  oc- 
curs where  there  is  plenty  of  fresh  air,  but  where  the  food  is 
inadequate,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  is  very  prevalent  among 
the  Indians  of  North  America.  I  had  the  opportunity,  while 
traveling  in  the  western  portion  of  the  United  States,  to  visit 
an  Indian  settlement  in  the  State  of  Arizona,  and  also  one  in 
the  city  of  Quebec,  in  Canada.  The  inadequate  composition 
of  the  diet  and,  more  particularly,  the  habitual  use  of  strong 
alcoholic  drinks,  by  reason  of  which  the  food  is  poorly  digested 
and  assimilated,  must  here  be  held  responsible.  The  Maoris 
of  New  Zealand  are  often  victims  of  tuberculosis,  no  doubt 
primarily  because  they  nourish  themselves  in  a  very  poor  and 
insufficient  manner.    They  very  rarely  have  any  meat. 

As  an  instructive  example,  contrasting  with  the  above- 
mentioned  people  living  in  the  open  air,  I  would  like  to  cite 
the  inhabitants  of  London.  The  Londoners  rarely  acquire 
tuberculosis,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  live  in  the 
foggy,  smoky  air  of  London,  which  is  certainly  not  good,  and 
where  for  several  months  they  hardly  see  the  sun.  Why  is 
this  ?  It  is  because  they  eat  meat  three  times  a  day,  at  break- 
fast, dinner,  and  supper,  and  the  poor,  at  least  twice  a  day. 
As  Sir  William  Roberts  has  affirmed,  no  one  takes  as  much 
nitrogenous  food  as  the  Londoner.  I  would,  however,  not  be 
inclined  to  disregard  the  favorable  influence  of  the  drinking 
water,  which  in  that  city  contains  lime,  while  in  New  Zealand 
it  is  very  poor  in  lime.     Defective  development  of  the  thorax 


104  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

and  liability  to  the  so-called  "paralytic"  type  of  chest  and  to 
tuberculosis  are  referable  to  this,  although  there  are  large 
cities  in  Europe  where  lime-water  is  drunk,  and  where  tuber- 
culosis frequently  occurs,  simply  because  the  food  of  the  poorer 
classes  is  miserable.  Tuberculosis  very  often  occurs  among 
the  inmates  of  prisons.  Here  the  lack  of  air  and  exercise  might 
receive  the  blame,  but  the  food  certainly  exerts  a  great  in- 
fluence. In  many  prisons  the  diet  is  exclusively  or  at  least 
principally  vegetarian.  When  vegetables  are  eaten,  as  has 
already  been  stated,  a  considerable  portion  is  not  properly  as- 
similated; we  are  therefore  disposed  to  consider  a  vegetable 
diet  one-sided  and  as  tending  to  malnutrition,  owing  to  the 
inadequate  intake  of  albumin.  The  fare  of  the  prisoners  in  the 
Plotzensee  prison  was  studied  through  a  number  of  years  by 
Paul  Jeserich  and  Meinert.  It  was  mainly  vegetable,  and  was 
not  sufficiently  assimilated.  This  non-assimilation  was  then 
remedied  by  the  addition  of  meat  and  eggs.  A  strictly  vegeta- 
rian diet,  owing  to  its  inadequate  albumin  content,  causes 
anemia,  and  may  frequently  cause  tuberculosis,  particularly 
when  adhered  to  during  the  time  of  puberty  and  the  period  of 
greatest  growth.  It  may  then  be  called  an  absolutely  murder- 
ous diet,  since  it  is  more  favorable  to  the  development  of 
consumption  than  any  other  one  thing. 

It  is  important  to  note  that  tuberculosis  is  more  easily 
contracted  when  the  largest  amounts  of  nourishing  substances 
are  required  by  the  body,  in  the  growing  period  after  the  age 
of  puberty,  especially  when  there  is  excessive  bodily  develop- 
ment. It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  many  giants  die  of  con- 
sumption. Tuberculosis  also  occurs  after  pregnancy  and  other 
debilitating  illnesses.  In  all  these  conditions  much  food  should 
be  taken,  and  particularly  that  of  an  albuminous  nature. 

We  must  now  answer  the  question  as  to  how  this  inade- 
quate feeding,  and  in  particular  the  deficient  intake  of  albumin, 
gives  rise  to  tuberculosis  under  these  conditions? 


Injurious  Modes  of  Feeding.  105 

This  result  occurs,  in  the  first  place,  because,  as  we  have 
already  stated  in  the  preceding-  chapter,  such  a  mode  of 
nourishment  injuriously  affects  the  quantity  and  the  composi- 
tion of  the  blood,  upon  which  our  resisting  power  against  in- 
fection principally  depends.  The  process  of  phagocytosis 
(Metchnikoff)  by  which  the  injurious  bacteria  are  destroyed, 
the  production  of  immunizing  substances,  the  opsonins,  etc., 
must  correspondingly  suffer.  This,  however,  also  depends 
upon  the  condition  of  the  thyroid  gland,  as  I  have  previously 
stated  in  my  book,  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  for  when  this  fails 
the  elaboration  of  these  protective  substances  is  hindered. 

I  have  described  in  detail,  in  the  above-named  book,  the 
action  of  the  thyroid  gland  in  protecting  our  bodies  against 
infection  of  various  kinds,  as  well  as  against  poisoning.  I 
shall,  therefore,  merely  state  here  that,  as  I  showed  in  a  com- 
munication to  the  Tuberculosis  Congress  in  Paris,  1905,  this 
disease  occurs  most  frequently  in  those  conditions  in  which  the 
thyroid  gland  is  degenerated.  In  the  conditions  mentioned 
above  as  favoring  the  development  of  tuberculosis,  there  occur 
changes  in  the  thyroid,  associated  perhaps  with  a  state  of  ex- 
haustion after  a  previous  period  of  overactivity.  The  produc- 
tion of  the  protective  substances  is  thereby  lessened,  and 
infection  can  take  place  the  more  readily.  When,  in  conse- 
quence of  defective  nutrition  with  inadequate  albumin  content, 
the  quantity  of  the  substance  contained  in  the  blood  which 
serves  to  build  up  the  protective  elements  (the  leucocytes,  for 
example)  which  destroy  the  bacteria,  and  which  are  composed 
of  albumin, — nuclein,  nucleoalbumin, — is  diminished,  the  re- 
sistance of  the  body  will  be  correspondingly  decreased. 

Anything,  therefore,  which  will  increase  the  activity  of 
the  thyroid  gland  will  likewise  increase  the  powers  of  resistance 
against  tuberculosis,  and  chief  among  these  factors  is  a  suitable 
food  in  sufficient  amount.  Meat  is  such  a  food;  especially 
fresh,  bloody  meat,  which  contains  a  large  amount  of  ex- 


106  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

tractive  substances,  A  diet  of  meat,  and  especially  the  extractive 
substances  contained  in  the  meat,  exerts  a  stimulating  effect 
upon  the  thyroid  gland.  One  of  the  very  best  means  for  the 
prevention  of  consumption  is  the  taking  of  finely  chopped,  raw, 
bloody  meat,  a  method  recommended  since  a  number  of  years 
by  a  number  of  authors  (Richet  and  others)  and  which  is 
certainly  very  efficacious.  The  manner  in  which  this  protective 
agent  acts  has  already  been  stated.  The  taking  of  many  eggs 
and  milk  (raw,  from  healthy  animals)  may  also  prove  very 
beneficial.  Milk,  as  wo.  have  already  stated,  also  excites  the 
activity  of  the  thyroid  gland,  owing  to  its  content  of  the  in- 
ternal secretion  of  the  thyroid,  which  passes  into  the  milk. 
By  means  of  a  plentiful  intake  of  fat  in  the  form  of  cream, 
butter,  bacon,  and  that  contained  in  meat,  as  well  as  of  carbohy- 
drates, such  as  tapioca,  sago,  rice,  macaroni,  etc.,  a  process  of 
fattening-up  will  occur  which  will  lessen  the  chances  of  tuber- 
culous infection. 

The  best  and  most  certain  measure  for  the  prevention  of 
tuberculosis  consists,  then,  in  addition  to  other  hygienic  pre- 
cautions,— plenty  of  fresh  air, — of  an  ample  diet,  with  plenty 
of  meat,  eggs,  and  milk.  Overnutrition  may,  when  long  con- 
tinued,— as  w^e  shall  show  in  the  succeeding  chapters, — involve 
certain  dangers;  these,  however,  are  by  no  means  so  marked 
as  those  of  undernutrition,  and,  in  any  case,  the  former  will 
prove  a  powerful  weapon  against  tuberculosis. 

4.  The  Untoward  Consequences  of  Overnutrition. 

When  our  food  tastes  good  we  are  easily  led  to  eat  more 
than  is  necessary  to  satisfy  our  hunger,  which  is  undoubtedly 
the  chief  object  in  eating.  The  enjoyment  of  our  food  is, 
however,  an  actual  necessity,  for  when  we  enjoy  what  we  eat 
we  generally  digest  it  much  better  than  we  would  otherwise. 
It  is  apt  to  follow,  however,  that  we  eat  too  much,  and  that 


Injurious  Modes   of  Feeding.  107 

this  is  injurious,  especially  in  the  case  of  meat,  is  shown  by  the 
distaste  for  work  of  any  kind  which  comes  over  us  after  an 
unduly  hearty  meal.  The  lower  the  plane  of  intelligence  of  a 
man,  the  less,  like  the  animals,  will  he  be  able  to  control  his 
rapacity  when  good  food  is  placed  before  him.  Among  many 
negro  tribes  in  Central  Africa  meat  is  a  rarity.  Consequently 
their  inordinate  craving  for  this  class  of  food  may  be  due  to 
the  very  low  albumin  content  of  their  usual  diet.  When  they 
are,  at  some  time  or  other,  placed  in  a  position  to  eat  meat,  it 
can  readily  be  seen  what  an  injurious  action  is  exerted  by  ex- 
cessive amounts  of  this  food.  I  have  already  mentioned  that 
in  an  expedition  made  by  the  Commissary-general  of  the 
Congo  anny,  De  Meulemeester,  his  column  of  40  men  fed 
themselves  during  two  and  one-half  days  upon  the  meat  and 
skin  of  an  elephant  weighing  5000  kilos.  These  negroes  ate 
so  much  that  their  bellies  stood  out  like  balls.  As  a  result  of 
eating  such  quantities  of  meat  the  men  became  poisoned,  as  it 
were;  they  were  stupefied  and  so  tired  that  De  Meulemeester 
was  obliged,  notwithstanding  the  haste  with  which  the  expedi- 
tion was  expected  to  advance,  to  rest  for  an  entire  day,  until 
the  men  should  recover  and  be  able  to  resume  the  march. 
Overfeeding  is  always  injurious,  but  this  is  particularly  the 
case  with  meat,  as  illustrated  by  the  example  given.  Not  only 
negroes,  but  white  men  as  well,  will  act  in  the  manner  just 
mentioned  when  they  have  partaken  of  too  much  meat.  The 
dangers  attending  such  a  condition  will  be  fully  described  in 
the  cliapter  on  meat  diet.  Other  foods,  however,  than  those 
which  are  really  useful  for  us  may  also  have  a  most  harmful 
action  when  taken  in  too  large  amount.  In  the  first  place  the 
organs  of  digestion  are  thereby  subjected  to  an  excess  of  work, 
and  when,  in  addition,  the  food  has  been  taken  very  rapidly, 
as  is  usually  the  case  with  heavy  eaters,  digestive  disturbances 
will  easily  result,  both  in  the  stomach  and  intestines  and  the 
liver  as  well.     In  man  somewhat  the  same  thing  occurs  as  in 


108  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

geese  when  they  are  fattened :  he  is  likely  to  acquire  an  en- 
larged and  fatty  liver,  especially  when,  in  addition  to  over- 
eating, alcoholic  beverages  are  taken  as  well.  Cirrhosis  of  the 
liver  is  the  result  of  such  excesses.  That  the  daily  trans- 
portation of  large  amounts  of  blood,  consequent  upon  too  great 
an  intake  of  food  and  drink,  will  finally  prove  harmful  to  the 
arteries  is  certain,  since  the  elasticity  of  their  w^alls  is  thereby 
lost  and  arteriosclerosis  favored.  This  condition  also  fre- 
quently occurs  when,  together  with  heavy  eating,  including 
plenty  of  meat,  there  are  other  predisposing  factors  such  as 
syphilis,  tobacco,  and  alcohol. 

The  overloading  of  metabolism  with  the  wastes  resulting 
from  the  combustion  of  such  quantities  of  food,  especially  of 
meat,  can  undoubtedly  result  only  in  harm,  for  even  the  organs 
which  regulate  the  metabolic  processes,  the  ductless  glands, — 
thyroid,  sexual  glands,  and  adrenals, — become  injured  by  such 
excessive  feeding.  Obesity,  gout,  and  diabetes  are  the  result. 
To  the  detoxicating  organs,  which  are  thus  so  seriously  im- 
paired, belong  also  the  kidneys,  and  by  such  a  faulty  method 
of  feeding  a  loss  of  important  secretory  portions  of  the  kidneys 
is  incurred  and  degeneration  in  their  tissue  takes  place.  Thus, 
we  observe  that  a  whole  series  of  our  most  important  organs 
is  injured  by  overnutrition  and,  indeed,  life  is  probably  short- 
ened. While  malnutrition  in  early  childhood  is  responsible 
for  the  many  deaths  caused  by  infectious  diseases,  the  attain- 
ment of  an  advanced  age  is  also  often  prevented  by  the  perni- 
cious habit  of  overeating.  Galen  justly  said,  at  a  time  when 
many  men  fell  by  the  sword :  "Plures  giila  quam  gladius 
occidit" — More  are  killed  by  gluttony  than  by  the  sword. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  GOOD  AND  EVIL  EFFECTS  OF  VARIOUS 
FOOD  SUBSTANCES. 

(a)   Meat  Diet. 

I.  Concenuiig  Meat  and  Various  Kinds  of  Fish. 

There  is  no  article  of  food  which  more  closely  resembles 
our  tissues  than  the  meat  of  animals,  and  probably  hardly  any 
from  which  greater  amounts  of  albumin  can  be  so  easily  ab- 
sorbed and  digested  by  our  bodies.  It  is,  however,  not  really 
because  of  its  nutritive  value  that  meat  is  so  greatly  sought 
after  as  a  food,  since  quite  a  number  of  other  food  substances, 
such  as  rice,  possess  even  greater  nutritive  qualities  than  meat ; 
cheese  and  cereals  in  the  form  of  porridge  also  contain  large 
amounts  of  albumin.  A  major  reason  is  no  doubt  the  presence 
in  meat  of  certain  flavoring  substances,  which  are  very  stimu- 
lating both  for  the  digestion  and  general  health ;  but  the 
greatest  value  of  meat  probably  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  quality 
of  the  albumin  therein  most  nearly  approaches  that  of  our  own 
tissues,  and  even  more  so,  in  that  meat,  especially  certain  kinds 
of  it,  is  rich  in  cell  nuclei,  which  play  a  role  of  considerable 
importance  in  carrying  on  the  processes  of  life. 

The  cell  nuclei,  and  the  nuclein  contained  therein,  have 
been  the  objects  of  much  disparagement  because  the  purin  bases 
and  uric  acid  are  formed  by  their  disintegration ;  but  were  we 
to  abandon  a  useful  article  of  food  merely  because  it  exerts 
an  injurious  effect  when  taken  in  excessive  quantities,  we  would 
not  only  have  to  give  up  a  whole  series  of  valuable  foods,  but 
abandon  the  use  of  our  most  effective  drugs  as  well.  Un- 
doubtedly meat  has  the  disadvantage  of  carrying  into  the 

(109) 


110  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

organism  more  nuclein  than  perhaps  any  other  article  of  food. 
It  may  be  mentioned,  in  this  connection,  that  these  animal 
nucleins  are  supposed  to  have  a  more  injurious  action  than 
those  of  vegetables,  but  we  might  also  say  that  their  value 
depends  precisely  upon  the  fact  that  they  are  animal  nucleins. 
In  certain  kinds  of  meat,  such  as  beef,  we  absorb  more  of  such 
substances,  as  well  as  more  of  extractives  and  flavoring  sub- 
stances, because,  by  virtue  of  the  greater  proportion  of  con- 
nective tissue  present,  less  of  these  constituents  is  given  off  in 
the  process  of  cooking.  It  is  different  in  the  case  of  veal, 
which  is  more  tender  and  of  a  finer  fiber,  contains  less  con- 
nective tissue,  and  consequently  gives  off  its  fluid  contents 
more  easily.  We  therefore  call  beef,  which  contains  more 
blood,  dark  meat,  in  contradistinction  to  veal,  which  we  call 
light  meat.  Veal  contains  much  water,  and  its  appearance 
fully  justifies  the  term  light  meat.  Chicken  also  includes  a 
good  deal  of  light  meat. 

Meat  in  general  contains  a  large  proportion  of  water, — 
that  of  the  adult  animal  rather  less  than  that  of  the  young. 
Thus,  the  lean  calf  has  from  78  to  80  per  cent,  of  water  in  its 
tissues,  while  the  ox  has  only  74  to  76  per  cent.  If  the  animals 
have  been  fattened,  however,  their  meat  contains  less  water. 
This  high  water  content  alone  is  sufficient  to  prove  the  fact 
that  not  much  that  is  nourishing  is  left  in  meat. 

The  valuable  constituent  of  the  meat  is  the  muscle  fiber. 
This  is  not  very  readily  attacked  by  the  gastric  juices,  since 
it  is  surrounded  by  a  covering  layer  of  connective  tissue  and 
fat.  In  the  process  of  cooking,  the  connective  tissue  is  trans- 
formed into  a  gelatinous  substance,  and  digestion  is  thus 
facilitated.  In  addition  to  the  albumin  the  fat  which  is  ab- 
sorbed with  meat  is  also  a  very  important  constituent,  for  the 
nutritive  value  of  meat  is  enormously  increased  thereby;  in 
taking  fatty  meats  such  as  pork  and  goose  meat,  a  large 
number  of  calories  are  introduced  into  the  body.    In  the  fol- 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     Ill 

lowing  table  are  shown  the  nutritive  values  of  the  various 
kinds  of  meat,  as  well  as  the  percentages  in  which  they  are 
assimilated  in  the  body.  By  the  aid  of  this  table  we  are  enabled 
to  distinguish  the  most  valuable  of  the  meat  foods.  Persons 
having  a  tendency  to  obesity  should  avoid  those  meats  which 
contain  the  largest  amounts  of  fat. 

Nutritive  Value  and  Percentage  of  Assimilation  of 
Certain  Kinds  of  Meat.i 


Kinds  of  meat. 


Beef,  lean 

Veal,  lean  .. . 
Lamb,  fat  . . . 
Chicken,  lean 
Chicken,  fat  . 
Goose,  fat  . . . 

Squab 

Pork, lean  , . . 

Pork,  fat  

Rabbit,  fat... 

Hare 

Venison 


Nitrogen 
content. 
Per  cent. 


20.50 
20.00 
16.81 
19.72 
18.49 
15.91 
22.44 
20.10 
14.50 
20.47 
23.34 
19.80 


Fat 
content. 
Per  cent 


2.80 
1.00 

27.00 
1.32 
9.34 

45.59 
1.00 
6.30 

37.30 
9.76 
1.13 
1.90 


Nitrogen 

Pat  assim- 

assimilated. 

ilated. 

Percent. 

Percent. 

19.99 

2.66 

19.50 

0.95 

16.43 

26.65 

19.23 

1.27 

18.03 

8.87 

15.51 

41.31 

21.59 

0.95 

19.60 

5.91 

20  .'93 

'9".  17 

22.76 

1.07 

19.40 

1.40 

Calories 
contained 
In  1  kilo. 


1214 
1031 
3130 
1106 
1744 
4778 
1162 
1504 
4060 
1913 
1207 


Nutritive  Salts  Contained  in  Certain  Meats, 
According  to  E.  Wolff.2 


„ 

•6 

« 

MJ 

0 

, 

^ 

^ 

4)  n 

•^d 

3^ 

*§ 

a 

^ 

■U 

.§« 

h 

.2 

I 

a. 

M 

J 

S 

0 

(k 

1/2 

m 

u 

Veal  

34.40 

7.96 

1.99 

1.45 

0.24 

48.13 

0.81 

6.47 

Horseflesh  ... 

39.40 

5.64 

1.80 

3.88 

1.00 

46.74 

6.30 

6.89 

Beef   

48.91 

0.91 

2.30 

0.82 

36.08 

3.84 

2.47 

6.04 

Pork 

37.53 

4.54 

7.53 

4.83 

0.35 

44.41 

0.62 

1468. 


1  After  J.    Konig,   "Chemie   der   menschlichen   Nahrungsmittel,"   u, 

2  Cited  by  Albu  and  Neuberg,  "Der  Mineralstoffwechsel,"  p.  24U 


112  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

As  we  may  observe,  the  meat  of  the  hare  contains  the 
most  nitrogen,  and  consequently  the  largest  amount  of  albumin. 
Usually,  animals  living  wild  sJiow  the  greatest  proportion  of 
muscle  tissue  in  their  flesh,  owing  to  their  great  muscular 
activity;  they  are  also  the  least  fat.  While  the  pigeon  has  22 
per  cent,  of  albumin,  the  fat,  lazy  goose  has  only  about  5  per 
cent. ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  well-fed  bird  has  44  per  cent,  of 
fat,  while  the  pigeon  has  only  i  per  cent.  The  goose,  however, 
yields  four  and  one-half  times  as  much  nourishment  as  the 
pigeon,  though  its  meat  has  the  great  disadvantage  of  not 
being  readily  digested. 

The  digestibility  of  meat  depends  greatly  upon  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  is  cooked.  When  the  elastic  fibers  and  con- 
nective tissue  surrounding  the  most  nutritive  elements  have 
been  converted  into  a  gelatinous  substance  by  the  cooking,  the 
digestive  fluids  are  better  able  to  act  upon  them.  When  meat 
is  suddenly  subjected  to  a  great  heat,  the  albumin  is  coagulated. 
If  it  be  placed  in  water  which  is  boiling,  very  little  of  the 
taste-bearing  substances  and  of  the  albumin  are  extracted. 
When  roasted  it  becomes  covered  with  a  brownish  crust,  which 
prevents  the  escape  of  the  juices;  so  that  meat  prepared  in  this 
way  tastes  very  good. 

Steaming,  in  which  a  gradual  heating  occurs,  is  also  ad- 
vantageous ;  here,  again,  very  little  of  the  extractive  substances 
are  lost,  since  it  is  mainly  the  steam  and  not  the  hot  water 
which  cooks  the  meat.  This  process  of  steaming  is  one  which 
is  worthy  of  being  much  more  frequently  used  than  has  been 
the  case.  In  broiling  directly  over  the  fire,  all  the  tasty  con- 
stituents are  likewise  retained,  but  it  may  happen  that  the  open 
fire  will  not  soften  the  inner  portions  of  the  meat,  and  that 
the  connective  tissue  will  not  be  cooked  through,  thus  render- 
ing the  meat  more  indigestible.  With  the  broiling  of  chicken, 
however,  in  which  there  is  but  little  connective  tissue,  this 
objection  cannot  be  made.     The  digestibility  of  meat  may  be 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     113 

enhanced  through  its  preparation  in  an  inviting  manner.  If  it 
is  placed  over  the  fire  in  cold  water,  and  then  cooked  slowly, 
all  the  flavoring  substances  are  extracted,  and  consequently  but 
little  digestive  fluid  is  secreted,  and  the  digestion  is  not  well 
carried  on.  Raw  meat  is  the  most  easily  digested,  but  it  must 
first  have  been  well  pounded,  and  then  scraped  or  finely 
chopped.  According  to  Jesser,^  loo  grams  of  raw  meat  disap- 
pear from  the  stomach  in  two  hours,  when  half-boiled  in  two 
and  one-half  hours,  when  well  boiled  in  three  hours;  if  meat  is 
half-roasted,  three  hours  are  required  for  the  digestion,  and, 
if  well  roasted,  four  hours. 

Meat,  in  general,  is  very  readily  digested,  and  is  well 
assimilated.  Rauhe,  of  the  2  kilograms  of  meat  used  in  his 
experiments,  decomposed  1080  grams,  and,  in  the  experiments 
of  Rubner^  with  quantities  considerably  over  i  kilogram,  only 
about  5  per  cent,  of  the  dry  substance  and  less  than  3  per  cent, 
of  the  nitrogen  were  excreted  with  the  feces. 

In  regard  to  the  assimilation  of  certain  meats,  the  experi- 
ments of  Uffelmann  showed  that  pork  was  the  poorest  in  this 
respect  (with  about  6  per  cent,  loss  of  the  albumin)  ;  next 
came  old  beef  (about  5  per  cent,  loss),  and  the  best  was  venison 
(only  2^  per  cent.  loss). 

A  certain  influence  in  respect  to  the  taste  and  ease  of 
digestion  of  meat  is  exerted  by  allowing  the  latter  to  hang  for 
a  while,  whereby,  in  very  much  the  same  manner  as  with 
vegetable  foods,  a  kind  of  acid  fermentation  occurs  in  virtue 
of  which  the  meat  fibers  become  more  tender,  and  are  also 
softened  by  the  small  quantities  of  pepsin  contained  in  the 
muscle  tissue.  If  the  meat  hangs  for  too  long  a  time,  however, 
and  is  not  kept  at  a  very  low  temperature,  putrefaction  may 
set  in,  and,  strange  to  say,  most  people  love  wild  game  the 
best,  when  it  already  has  such  a  strong  odor  that  it  might  be 

ijesser:    Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologic,  1885,  p.  129. 
2Rubner:   Archiv  fur  Anat.  und  Physiologic,  1862,  p.  311. 


114  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

termed  a  stench.  Americans  of  the  wealthy  classes  prefer  meat 
which  has  been  kept  hanging  for  a  long  time,  and  while  I  was 
staying  in  New  York  I  was  told  that  the  guests  of  one  of  the 
very  best  hotels  liked  most  to  eat  meat  which  had  been  hanging 
up  for  about  six  weeks. 

In  no  other  country  is  it  customary  to  keep  meat  so  long 
in  cold  storage  as  in  America.  The  cattle  is  brought  from  the 
distant  prairies  to  Chicago,  is  there  slaughtered,  and  the  meat 
afterward  sent  to  all  parts  in  special  railroad  cars  with  cold- 
storage  chambers.  In  the  cities  where  the  meat  is  used  it  is 
also  kept  in  cold  storage.  For  fourteen  days  the  meat  keeps 
very  well  in  this  way,  as  far  as  the  taste  is  concerned,  as  was 
found  by  Wiley,  of  the  experimental  laboratories  of  the  United 
States  Government.  After  that  time  it  begins  to  lose  its  taste. 
Personally,  I  found  that  such  meat  tasted  very  good  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  United  States,  while  in  Florida  and  in 
Texas,  as  well  as  in  Los  Angeles  in  California,  it  was  very 
tasteless.  By  the  time  the  meat  had  reached  these  places  remote 
from  Chicago,  it  had,  after  being  kept  on  ice  for  a  long  time, 
lost  all  taste.  Such  meat  is  never  juicy,  and  a  great  deal  of 
butter  must  be  used,  in  order  to  obtain  a  satisfactory  amount 
of  gravy.  True,  the  meat  which  is  transported — and  afterward 
kept — in  the  cold-storage  chambers  does  not  taste  at  all  badly, 
and  that  which  is  now  sent  from  the  Argentine  Republic  to 
Austria  is  said  to  be  very  good.  It  is  quite  different,  however, 
with  frozen  meats.  When  meat  lies  upon  the  ice,  all  the  taste- 
bearing  elements  are  drawn  out  of  it.  In  my  travels  in  the 
far  West  of  the  Union,  I  often  noticed  how  a  negro  waiter 
would  take  the  meat  from  an  icebox  under  the  restaurant  car, 
and  it  was  certainly  not  surprising  that  such  meat,  which  had 
already  been  kept  for  some  time  in  cold  storage,  had  absolutely 
no  taste.  In  many  parts  of  the  United  States  and  in  Canada 
meat  is  kept  frozen  for  some  time,  and  while  I  was  the  guest 
of  a  family  in  Ottawa  at  Easter,  1907,  we  ate  a  caribou  (a  sort 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     115 

of  elk,  which  is  found  in  Canada)  which  had  been  shot  six 
months  before.  Two  days  later  we  ate  a  turkey  which  had 
been  killed  in  October,  and  had  been  kept  frozen  since  that 
time.  The  meat  was  quite  yellow  and  dry,  and  absolutely 
tasteless.  Such  meat  must  be  eaten  immediately  after  it  has 
been  thawed  out,  for  just  as  soon  as  it  is  kept  in  a  higher 
temperature  it  putrefies ;  in  the  thawing  process  the  ice  particles 
burst  the  tissues  and  the  bacteria  find  a  ready  entrance.  The 
moisture  which  covers  the  meat  when  it  thaws  also  contains 
a  large  quantity  of  the  bacteria  of  decomposition.  Meat  can 
be  kept  frozen  for  thousands  of  years  and  still  be  used  as  food. 
Thus,  the  mammoths  found  in  northern  Siberia  by  the  explorers 
often  formed  a  welcome  food  for  these  travelers  and  their 
dogs. 

In  order  that  meat  may  be  kept  a  longi  time,  it  is  often 
salted,  pickled,  or  smoked.  Meat  treated  in  this  way  is  only 
satisfactory  when  no  fresh  or  cold-storage  meat  is  to  be  had. 
Smoked  meat  is  sometimes  better  digested  than  ordinary  meat, 
but  the  salted  varieties,  owing  to  their  great  salt  content,  are 
not  to  be  recommended  if  the  kidneys  are  in  any  way  diseased. 
However,  these  meats  are  always  to  be  preferred  to  the  canned 
varieties,  for  very  frequently  antiseptic  substances,  which  may 
prove  injurious,  are  added  to  these,  and  usually,  too,  the  meat 
of  very  lean  animals  is  used  for  this  purpose.  The  substances 
w^hich  are  frequently  added  to  meats  to  preserve  their  color 
and  appearance  include  borax,  boric  acid,  salicylic  acid,  etc. 
All  these  agents,  even  in  minimal  quantities,  are  injurious  upon 
long-continued  use,  although  after  the  use  of  certain  of  them 
in  dogs  no  harmful  results  were  noticed.  The  general  health 
may  gradually  be  unfavorably  influenced  when  they  are  in- 
gested over  long  periods,  even  though  such  effects  do;  not  at 
once  follow  after  they  have  been  taken  either  once  or  for  some 
weeks.  The  majority  of  the  diseases  w^ith  which  mankind  is 
afflicted  usually  creep  in  through  the  accumulated  effects  of 


116  Health  Through  Rationed  Diet. 

successive  slight  irritations,  by  the  operation  of  apparently 
insignificant  factors  which  are  just  sufficient  to  take  part  in 
some  chemical  reaction. 

A  remarkable  thing  about  this  is  the  fact  that  these  added 
chemical  substances  may  be  injurious  to  the  organism,  and, 
yet,  have  not  the  power  to  destroy  the  poisons  of  pathogenic 
bacteria ;  this  is  also  the  case  with  the  other  preserved  varieties 
of  meat,  that  is,  the  salted,  pickled,  and  smoked  kinds.  They 
may,  however,  prevent  putrefaction  and  unpleasant  odors.  It 
is  here  to  be  mentioned,  as  we  have  previously  stated,  that  in 
persons  in  whom  the  gastric  juice  is  normal  the  germs  of 
decomposition  in  the  meat  will  not  work  any  noticeable  in- 
jury, and  it  frequently  happens  that  decayed  meat  is  taken  with- 
out causing  any  great  harm.  Count  von  Pappenheim,  in  his 
interesting  work  on  Madagascar,  states  that  he  has  seen  Hovas 
dig  out  and  eat  the  meat  of  an  ox  which  had  died  some  days 
before;  the  meat  was  already  quite  green  in  color,  but  it  did 
not  have  any  bad  effect,  as  they  were  not  in  the  least  ill.  The 
gypsies  living  in  Hungary  often  eat  decayed  meat  without  its 
causing  any  injury.  Finally,  we  must  observe  that  if  decayed 
meat  were  to  cause  harm  or  to  make  us  ill  at  once  very  few  of 
the  people  who  are  compelled  by  circumstances  always  to  eat 
in  restaurants,  and  to  stop  while  traveling  in  hotels  of  a  lower 
order,  could  live  at  all.  To  be  sure,  meat  is  carefully  examined 
in  the  markets,  but  no  jurisdiction  controls  the  question  as  to 
how  long  the  meat  is  kept  in  some  of  the  smaller  hotels  (we 
do  not,  of  course,  presume  to  generalize)  after  it  has  been 
cooked  for  the  first  time.  One  person  may  not  be  in  the  least 
affected  by  it,  the  next  may  escape  with  an  attack  of  diarrhea, 
but,  more  often  than  is  suspected,  such  products  may  injure  the 
fine  epithelia  of  the  kidneys  and  the  liver.  Moreover,  there 
may  sometimes  be  developed  in  the  meat — usually  in  chopped 
meats  and  sausage — products  of  the  decomposing  action  of 
certain  bacteria,  toxalbumins,  which  are  very  injurious,  and 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     117 

may  prove  fatal.  While  I  was  spending  two  weeks  in  St. 
Louis,  four  years  ago,  in  the  winter,  several  deaths  occurred 
as  the  result  of  the  eating  of  chickens  which  had  been  preserved 
for  a  long  time ;  among  others,  a  woman  and  her  children  died 
from  this  cause. 

The  bacteria  of  various  diseases  in  animals  often  do  not 
appear  to  cause  any  illness  in  man  when  the  meat  containing 
them  is  eaten.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  cooking  and  the 
action  of  the  hydrochloric  acid  in  the  stomach.  Hutchison 
states  that  shepherds  in  Scotland  ate  for  a  long  time  the  meat 
of  sick  sheep  without  being  at  all  harmed,  and  Delcroix,  of 
Paris,  twenty-five  years  ago,  gave  to  the  poor  the  meat  of  sick 
animals,  and  even  that  of  a  dead  dog, — the  beneficiaries  knew 
nothing  concerning  the  origin  of  this  food, — and  no  injurious 
results  occurred.  On  the  other  hand,  various  authors  report 
cases  of  fatal  poisoning  due  to  the  meat  of  animals  in  which 
the  spleen  was  diseased. 

Many  of  the  poisonous  efifects  of  meat  may  perhaps  be 
ascribed  to  certain  substances  which  the  animals  have  eaten, 
such  as  poisonous  herbs.  It  is  an  undisputed  fact  that  the 
taste  of  meat  is  influenced  by  the  food  ingested  by  the  animals. 
The  best-tasting  meat  is  that  of  cattle  fed  in  the  open.  I  have 
never  seen  finer  meat  than  that  sold  in  the  butcher  shops  in 
Holland ;  this  is  because  in  that  country,  owing  to  the  prevail- 
ing dampness,  the  grass  grows  most  luxuriantly.  In  England 
and  Denmark,  too,  very  fine  beef  is  raised.  Cattle  thrive  best 
and  furnish  the  finest  meat  in  a  temperate  climate,  as  in  the 
Argentine  Republic  and  the  northern  portion  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  South  the  meat  is  less  good.  The  cattle  do 
much  better,  indeed,  in  the  northern  than  in  the  southern 
part  of  Texas.  In  southern  regions  where  it  is  very  dry,  as  on 
the  Riviera,  in  the  south  of  Spain,  in  California,  etc.,  equally 
fine  beef  cannot  be  had.  The  taste  of  meat  is  also  improved 
by  castration.     Thus^  a  Styrian  capon  has  a  fine  taste,  as  do 


118  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

also  the  castrated  chickens  of  Philadelphia.  It  is  of  the  great- 
est importance  that  animals  intended  for  our  use  should  be 
carefully  fed  and  bred.  When  animals  are  fed  upon  husks, 
beer-mash,  etc.,  good  meat  cannot  be  expected.  A  chicken 
bought  from  a  farmer  has  nothing  much  to  commend  it,  but 
when  it  has  been  fed  upon  grain  for  one  or  two  weeks,  and  in 
addition  kept  in  so  small  a  cage  that  the  only  movement  it  can 
make  is  to  stretch  out  its  neck  to  pick  up  its  food,  as  is  done  in 
Belgium,  it  becomes  very  tasty,  and  is  likewise  very  nourishing. 
In  animals  kept  in  the  open  air,  especially  sheep,  the  meat  has 
a  much  more  agreeable  odor  than  is  the  case  with  those  always 
housed  up  in  stables. 

In  addition  to  the  albumin  and  fat,  meat  also  contains  ap- 
preciable amounts  of  some  very  important  nutritive  salts ;  thus, 
42.50  per  cent,  of  phosphorus  and  40.3  per  cent,  of  potash  are 
contained  in  the  ashes.  There  is  also  quite  an  amount  of  iron, 
but,  taking  it  all  in  all,  meat  is  not  a  food  which  contains  a 
large  quantity  of  nutrient  salts;  it  is  greatly  surpassed  by 
vegetables  in  this  respect. 

Of  the  various  meats,  beef  is  that  which  is  chiefly  used. 
While  opinions  are  about  evenly  divided  as  to  whether  beef  or 
veal  is  the  more  easily  digested,  I  am  inclined  to  give  the  pref- 
erence to  veal.  It  is  more  tender  than  beef.  Of  course,  it 
is  necessary  that  the  calf  should  be  properly  fed ;  when  it  is  fed 
upon  milk,  the  meat  is  very  white  and  fine.  With  regard  to  the 
uric-acid-forming  substances,  veal  probably  contains  rather 
more  of  the  nucleins  than  beef ;  but  when  it  is  boiled,  a  greater 
proportion  of  the  extractive  substances  passes  out  into  the  soup 
than  is  the  case  with  beef.  When  veal  is  eaten  roasted,  espec- 
ially the  outer  crusty  portions,  as  in  the  roasted  breast  of  veal, 
with  the  usual  trimmings,  it  is  likely  to  prove  more  injurious 
in  regard  to  the  uric-acid-forming  properties  than  beef. 

As  a  rule,  for  delicate  persons  and  those  suffering  from 
various  chronic  affections,  as  well  as  for  convalescents,  veal  is 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     119 

to  be  recommended  in  preference  to  beef,  and  during  the  cure 
at  Carlsbad  veal  and  chicken  form  very  important  elements  of 
the  diet.  Lamb  is  much  more  indigestible,  solely  on  account 
of  its  especial  kind  of  fat,  which  has  a  very  high  melting  point; 
this  peculiarity,  as  we  have  previously  mentioned,  affects  the 
digestion  very  unfavorably.  Lean  lamb  would  be  more  readily 
digested,  but  it  is  not  very  easily  obtained.  When  lamb  is  not 
fat,  it  can  be  recommended,  and  will  be  well  digested.  With 
us,  lamb  is  not  much  eaten,  but  a  great  deal  of  it  is  consumed 
in  England  and  France.  In  addition  to  beef  and  veal  we  eat 
a  great  deal  of  pork,  but  the  greatest  quantity  of  this  meat  is 
eaten  by  the  Chinese.  The  hog  thrives  especially  well  in  their 
country,  and  when  Chinamen  emigrate  to  Java  they  take  their 
favorite  animals  along  with  them.  Like  the  duck  among  birds 
and  the  eel  among  fish,  the  hog  subsists  upon  a  very  unclean 
diet.  The  difference  consists,  however,  in  the  fact  that  the  hog 
cannot  help  itself,  as  it  is  given  this  food  by  its  owner.  If  al- 
lowed to  follow  its  own  inclinations,  the  hog  is  a  much  cleaner 
animal  than  is  generally  believed,  and  likes  to  bathe  itself, 
whenever  this  is  possible.  Moreover,  be  the  food  ever  so 
unclean,  it  is  in  a  very  short  time  transformed  by  the  hog's 
exceptionally  efficacious  gastric  juice — probably  the  most 
powerful  among  all  animals — into  the  animal's  own  palatable 
body  substance.  Certainly  this  much-decried  beast  is  worthy 
of  better  care  by  its  owners,  and  of  much  cleaner  food.  The 
meat  tastes  the  best  when  the  animal  is  fed  upon  corn.  Re- 
cently hogs  have  also  been  fed  upon  meat,  of  which  they  can 
consume  a  considerable  quantity  per  day,  and  also  upon  fish. 
The  latter  diet,  however,  has  the  disadvantage  of  imparting  a 
rather  oily  taste  to  the  pork ;  for  this  reason  no  fish  should  be 
fed  to  swine  for  at  least  four  weeks  before  they  are  put  to 
death.  Pork  is  a  very  nutritious  meat,  but  is,  unfortunately, 
quite  difficult  to  digest,  owing  to  its  high  fat  content.  While 
the  muscles  of  the  pig  are  hard  to  digest,  lying  surrounded  by 


120  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

fat  and  connective  tissue,  the  lard  or  bacon  is  more  readily 
digested  than  many  other  kinds  of  fat.  Bacon  is  a  very  useful 
adjunct  in  a  diet  v^hich  is  poor  in  fat,  and  improves  both  the 
nutritive  value  and  the  taste  of  the  food.  In  some  countries 
it  is  customary,  for  the  above  reasons,  always  to  add  bacon  to 
beans,  peas,  etc.,  as  in  America  (pork  and  beans)  and  in  France 
{petits  pois  ail  lard). 

The  most  easily  digested  and  the  most  highly  prized  food 
which  we  have  from  the  hog — that  animal  which  we  only 
begin  to  like  after  it  is  dead — is  ham.  Many  kinds  of  ham, 
such  as  those  of  Prague  and  of  Westphalia,  are  world- 
renowned.  Ham  belongs  to  the  class  of  most  easily  digested 
foods,  and  boiled  Prague  ham  often  forms  an  important  part 
of  the  regime  at  Carlsbad.  However,  it  is  not  well  adapted  for 
everyone ;  its  great  advantage  is  its  digestibility,  but  otherwise 
it  has  all  the  disadvantages  pertaining  to  meat  in  general. 
While  it  is  readily  digested,  and  likewise  well  assimilated  in 
the  intestine,  much  uric  acid  is  formed  from  its  decomposition 
products,  and  for  this  reason  gouty  patients  should  never  take 
ham  in  the  morning  or  evening,  in  addition  to  the  meat  allowed 
them  at  midday  (which,  indeed,  it  might  also  be  far  better  for 
them  to  avoid).  No  matter  how  good  the  ham  tastes,  and  how 
difficult  it  is  for  the  physician,  who  would  like  to  provide  an 
agreeable  diet  for  his  patients,  to  forbid  it,  it  cannot  be  allowed. 
Patients  suffering  from  kidney  disorders  should  not  be  allowed 
to  eat  ham  on  account  o-f  the  quantity  of  salt  which  it  contains 
(sometimes  as  much  as  5  per  cent.,  though  in  the  Prague  ham 
only  about  2  per  cent.).  Almost  every  variety  of  meat  should 
be  eaten  cooked,  with  but  very  few  exceptions  (as,  for  instance, 
scraped  raw  beef,  from  a  healthy  animal,  in  tuberculosis),  but 
nowhere  is  this  rule  of  greater  importance  than  in  the  case  of 
pork,  owing  to  the  danger  of  trichinosis.  The  trichinae  are 
very  resistant,  and  withstand  both  the  action  of  heat  and  the 
smoking  process. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     121 

The  meat  of  the  chicken  may  probably  be  regarded  as  the 
most  tender  and  most  easily  digested  meat.  The  connective 
tissue  is  not  present  to  the  same  extent  as  in  beef,  nor  is  there 
as  much  fat  as  in  pork.  The  albumin  contained  in  the  breast 
meat  of  the  chicken — the  portion  most  to  be  recommended, 
though  possibly  not  the  most  savory  one — is  fully  exposed  to 
the  action  of  the  gastric  juices.  This  breast  meat  is  the  rep- 
resentative in  the  chicken  of  white  meats  in  general,  and,  in 
order  that  it  should  contain  plenty  of  the  albumin,  so  necessary 
to  convalescents  for  the  reconstruction  of  their  body  tissues, 
the  fowl  should  not  be  left  to  nourish  itself  upon  worms,  but 
should  be  fed  upon  grain,  which  is  rich  in  nitrogen.  Young, 
tender  chickens  are  best  digested,  although  they  have  not  quite 
as  much  flavor;  soup  is  best  made  from  a  full-grown  fowl. 
The  best  tasting  part  of  the  chicken  is  the  second  joint,  but 
only  when  the  animal  has  been  \\q\\  fattened. 

The  turkey  has  some  very  excellent  white  meat.  This 
bird  had  its  origin  in  the  United  States  (its  long,  curved  beak 
somewhat  resembles  the  nose  of  the  Indians).  In  fact,  it  is 
also  called  "Indian"  in  some  parts  of  Austria,  especially  in 
Croatia,  where  it  is  raised  in  large  numbers.  Its  French  name, 
"Coq  d'Inde,"  has  been  applied  to  it  owing  to  the  fact  that, 
when,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Jesuits  brought  this  bird 
from  America  to  raise  it  in  France  at  their  farm  near  Bourges, 
America  was  still  called  "The  West  Indies."  There  is  no 
animal  which  is  slaughtered  in  such  numbers  at  all  festive 
seasons  in  the  United  States  as  the  turkey,  and  in  particular 
just  before  "Thanksgiving  Day"  there  is  a  veritable  hecatomb 
of  these  fowls.  Nowhere  in  the  world,  either,  can  such  fine 
turkey  be  enjoyed  while  traveling  as  in  the  Pullman  dining 
cars  in  the  United  States,  where  the  negro  cook  prepares  it  in 
a  particularly  excellent  way.  In  the  West,  unfortunately,  it 
often  does  not  taste  as  good,  because  it  is  less  fresh  and  has 
been  lying  on  the  ice  for  a  long  time.    The  meat  of  the  turkey 


122  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

is  more  nourishing  than  tliat  of  chicken;  it  has  about  2  per 
cent,  more  albumin  and  is  much  richer  in  fat  than  chicken. 

The  meat  of  the  pheasant  greatly  resembles  that  of  the 
turkey  in  nature  and  appearance.  Next  to  that  of  the  wood- 
cock, it  is  probably  the  most  delicious  meat  of  all.  It  is  fine 
and  white,  very  rich  in  albumin,  and  easily  digested ;  although, 
in  the  latter  respect,  chicken  must  take  precedence  over  it.  The 
very  fine  flavor  of  the  pheasant's  meat  may  be  due  to  the  fact 
that  it  lives  in  the  open,  in  young  forests  and  clearings.  Owing 
to  its  free  life  in  the  open  air,  and  because  of  the  often  aromat- 
ically  flavored  food  which  it  finds  in  the  meadows  and  woods, 
the  pheasant's  meat  possesses  a  fine  flavor  and  aroma.  The 
meats  of  the  partridge,  heathcock,  and  wild  duck  also  have  an 
excellent  taste.  The  meat  of  the  3'oung  partridge  especially  is 
easily  digested;  that  of  the  duck,  on  the  other  hand,  is  much 
less  advantageous  in  this  respect.  In  Holland  very  excellent 
wild-duck  meat  is  to  be  had.  Ducks  seem  to  thrive  especially 
well  in  Holland,  where  in  the  little  city  of  Vollendam,  which 
has  only  3000  inhabitants,  there  are  800,000  ducks.  The 
duck's  meat  is  dark-colored ;  the  muscle  tissue  is  very  compact, 
and  consequently  rather  hard  to  digest.  Duck  is  not  to  be 
recommended  for  feeble  stomachs;  the  fat  it  contains  tastes 
good,  but  does  not  increase  the  digestibility.  By  virtue  of  its 
content  of  albumin,  that  important  nutritive  substance,  duck 
meat  is,  nevertheless,  recommendable  as  a  food  substance,  al- 
though we  cannot  precisely  call  it  hygienic  because  of  the  fre- 
quently very  unclean  habits  of  the  bird  (which  might  be  termed 
the  hog  of  the  feathered  tribe),  as  also  because  of  the  inhuman 
way  in  which  this  fowl  is  often  killed.  While  speaking  of 
inhuman  practices,  we  may  as  well  take  the  opportunity  to 
condemn  as  emphatically  as  possible  the  habit  of  the  people  of 
southern  France,  and  many  other  southern  countries,  of  eating 
small  birds,  and  singing  birds  at  that, — those  little  beings 
which  charm  us  with  their  song,  and  besides  make  themselves 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     123 

useful  by  eatingf  the  insects  which  are  harmful  to  our  growing 
vegetable-food  products.  What  can  be  found  so  good  in  these 
tiny  creatures  which  contain  so  little  nutriment  is  incompre- 
hensible to  me.  A  larger  bird,  such  as  the  pigeon,  is  much 
more  nourishing,  has  a  tender,  easily  digested  meat,  and  is 
often  eaten  at  health  resorts,  as  with  us  in  Carlsbad.  It  con- 
tains more  albumin  than  the  majority  of  the  other  commonly 
eaten  birds ;  very  much  more  than  the  chicken  and  the  turkey, 
though  rather  less  than  the  duck.  It  is  the  poorest  in  fat  be- 
cause, as  we  have  already  stated,  being  a  rapid-flying  bird,  it 
makes  much  greater  use  of  its  muscles  than  do  the  other  birds 
which  we  usually  eat,  and  consequently  does  not  lay  on  much 
fat.  On  the  other  hand,  it  contains  the  most  sugar  in  the  form 
of  glycogen  in  its  breast  muscles,  as  shown  by  the  researches 
of  van't  Hoff,  as  this  substance  is  required  for  the  mechanical 
work  of  flying.  The  pigeon,  indeed,  affords  an  instructive 
illustration  of  the  manner  in  which  the  muscles  gain  in  bulk 
and  also  in  albumin  content,  as  well  as  of  the  loss  of  fat  in  the 
arm  of  the  laborer  who  handles  heavy  weights. 

The  greatest  amount  of  fat,  among  all  the  birds,  is  to  be 
found  in  the  lazy  goose.  A  very  large  amount  of  fat  is  often 
present  under  its  skin,  but  only  a  limited  quantity  of  muscle 
tissue.  For  this  reason  the  goose,  not  only  among  birds,  but 
among  meats  in  general,  contains  almost  the  smallest  quantity 
of  albumin.  Its  nutritive  value,  therefore,  depends  upon  its 
fat.  Since,  however,  the  fat  surrounds  the  muscles,  the 
albumin  is  digested  with  difficulty, — and  all  the  more  so  be- 
cause the  muscle  tissue  belongs  to  the  class  of  dark  meats  and 
the  flesh  has  a  very  firm  structure.  A  very  useful  portion  of 
the  goose's  body  is  the  liver;  the  Strasburg  goose-liver  patties 
are  world-renowned.  The  ancient  Egyptians,  as  has  been 
stated  by  Wilkinson  in  his  work  describing  their  customs,  were 
very  fond  of  roast  goose,  which  was  never  omitted  from  their 
festive  meals,  and  it  is  possible  that  the  preference  of  the  Jews 


124  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

for  these  birds  elates  back  to  the  time  of  their  stay  in  Egypt. 
On  the  whole,  goose  is  a  fit  food  only  for  excellent  stomachs. 
In  fact,  the  same  may  be  said  of  game  in  general.  Game 
generally  furnishes  a  hard,  tough  meat,  much  tougher  than 
beef,  and  to  make  it  more  tender  it  is  generally  hung  up  for  a 
time,  as  is  also  done  with  the  pheasant,  which  must  be  allowed 
to  hang  for  about  eight  days,  until  the  meat  becomes  soft ;  the 
meat  of  the  hen-pheasant,  in  particular,  gets  quite  tender  and 
is  easily  digested.  Since  the  same  procedure  is  resorted  to  with 
game  in  general,  as  with  the  pheasant,  it  is  called  in  France 
"faisandcr."  The  long  period  of  hanging  allows  decomposi- 
tion processes  to  be  set  up,  acids  are  formed,  and  the  meat 
fibers  become  softer  and  more  readily  digested.  Meat  treated 
in  this  way  cannot,  however,  be  considered  a  healthy  food, 
for,  while  it  may  not  cause  any  direct  injury  to  the  stomach, 
the  decomposition  products  engendered  are  injurious  to  the 
intestines  and,  after  their  absorption  in  the  body,  to  the  organ- 
ism in  general.  Although  some  persons  may  greatly  relish 
such  meat,  and  not  notice  any  unpleasant  after-result,  with  the 
exception,  perhaps,  of  diarrhea,  nevertheless,  such  a  habit  may 
be  the  starting  point  of  some  disease  process.  We  must  here 
again  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  results  of  certain  dis- 
ease-producing agencies  are  very  often  not  felt  at  the  start, 
but  are  only  noticed  when  more  fully  developed,  possibly  al- 
ready too  late  to  permit  of  an  absolute  cure  being  attained. 
Care  must  be  taken  with  game  not  to  allow  the  blood  of  the 
animal  to  run  out,  as  is  the  case  with  our  domestic  animals,  in 
particular  because  these  wild  animals  have  often  been  chased 
and  hounded  before  death,  and  are  not  in  the  same  condition 
as  those  well  rested  immediately  before  slaughter.  With  hares 
it  often  happens,  especially  with  us  and  in  Germany,  that  the 
bladder  is  not  promptly  emptied,  and  consequently  its  contents 
impart  an  unpleasant  taste  to  the  meat ;  in  Belgium  and  in 
France  this  matter  is  at  once  attended  to  by  the  hunter.    Hare- 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     125 

meat,  particularly  when  the  animal  is  still  young,  is  truly  a 
"tid-bit,"  and  it  is  therefore  not  difficult  to  understand  the 
eulogy  of  Martial : — 

"Inter    quadrupedes    gloria    prima    lepus." 

The  meat  of  the  hare,  owing  to  its  high  albumin  contenr, 
forms  a  very  nutritive  food,  like  that  of  the  deer,  which  is 
also  not  difficult  to  digest  when  the  animal  is  still  young  (not 
over  2  years).  Probably  the  best-tasting  meat  among  the 
four-footed  game  is  that  of  the  wild  boar,  as  I  have  frequently 
had  the  opportunity  to  convince  myself.  Another  easily  di- 
gested meat  is  that  of  young  rabbits,  which  are  unfortunately 
sometimes  replaced  in  large  cities  by  cats, — though,  while  yet 
living,  these  two  species  of  animals  do  not  get  on  at  all  well 
together ! 

2.  Concerning  Slaughter  Wastes,  Sausages,  and  the 
Value  of  Blood-pudding. 

Certain  organs  of  the  body  are  possessed  of  high  nutritive 
value  and  characterized  by  their  content  of  useful  substances 
such  as  phosphorus  and  lecithin.  The  liver  is  an  organ  belong- 
ing to  this  class.  Its  tissues  contain  a  large  quantity  of  carbo- 
hydrates, while  meat  in  general,  with  the  exception  of  horse- 
meat,  contains  only  minimal  quantities  of  the  carbohydrates. 
The  liver  contains  much  albumin  and,  in  comparison  with 
other  meats,  much  carbohydrate  and  also  much  fat.  There  is 
a  large  amount  of  lecithin  in  the  liver,  especially  in  that  of 
fattened  animals,  such  as  the  goose ;  in  this  respect  the  Stras- 
burg  liver  pie  is  a  valuable  article  of  food.  According  to  the 
reports  made,  we  must  regard  the  liver  as  a  valuable  phos- 
phorus-containing food.  The  liver  of  young  animals  is  more 
easily  digested  than  that  of  older  ones,  which  contains  con- 
siderable amounts  of  connective  tissue  difficult  of  digestion. 
In  addition  to  the  phosphorus  in  the  liver,  there  is  another 


126  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

nutritive  mineral,  iron,  which  occurs  in  noteworthy  quantities, 
especially  in  young  animals. 

The  brain  is  another  organ  which  is  very  rich  in  phos- 
phorus, lecithin,  and  other  similar  substances.  As  a  food 
substance  it  is  characterized  by  a  considerable  content  of  fat, 
but  it  is  nonetheless  not  hard  to  digest.  It  is  well  borne  by  the 
stomach,  but,  according  to  the  experiments  of  Rubner,  is  only 
incompletely  assimilated. 

The  kidneys  have  a  very  agreeable  taste,  especially  lamb 
kidneys;  these  are  not  much  used  with  us,  but  in  England, 
more  particularly,  find  much  favor  at  the  breakfast  table. 
They  are  also  nutritious,  because  they  contain  albumin  and 
fat.  Nevertheless,  the  kidneys,  as  well  as  liver  and  brain,  have 
the  disadvantage  of  being  very  rich  in  nucleins  as  well  as  in 
uric-acid-forming  substances;  the  brain  contains  the  least  of 
these,  the  kidneys  much  more,  while  the  kidneys  and  the  pan- 
creas (sweetbread)  contain  the  most  nuclein.  The  organ  from 
which  the  greatest  amount  of  uric  acid  is  formed  in  the  body 
is  the  pancreas  (sweetbread)  of  the  calf.  According  to  my 
experiments,  it  has  been  shown  that  after  these  organs  have 
been  eaten  by  diabetics  sugar  will  be  very  readily  secreted  or 
the  amount  previously  excreted  will  be  increased.  Conse- 
quently patients  suffering  from  gout  or  diabetes  should  not  eat 
these  organs. 

The  bones  may  serve  for  the  preparation  of  soup,  or  for 
the  manufacture  of  glue.  Their  most  important  constituent 
is  the  marrow.  This  is  very  rich  in  fat,  and  contains  nearly  as 
much  as  butter;  it  is  also  rich  in  nutritive  salts.  Since  the 
marrow  plays  an  important  part  in  the  formation  of  the  blood, 
that  taken  from  young  animals  might  form  a  useful  food  in 
chlorotic  conditions.  With  this  end  in  view  foods  are  also 
industrially  compounded  from  this  substance.  The  marrow  is 
also  rich  in  lecithin  and  phosphorus,  which  still  further  in- 
creases its  value.     It  is,  however,  rather  hard  to  digest,  and 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     127 

is  therefore  not  indicated  as  a  food  along  with  the  usual  diet, 
nor  should  it  be  taken  alone,  in  large  quantities;  it  is  rather 
intended  to  be  used  in  connection  with  less  nutritious  sub- 
stances and,  more  particularly,  soup. 

Sausage  in  general  is  also  very  rich  in  fat,  and  it  is  just 
this  fat  content,  together  with  the  albumin  contained  in  it, 
which  places  it  in  the  list  of  the  most  nourishing  foods ;  owing 
to  its  fatty  contents,  however,  it  is  not  easily  digested,  and  the 
strong  flavoring  with  pepper,  garlic,  and  paprica  adds  to  the 
difficulty.  After  having  eaten  highly  flavored  sausage,  it  very 
often  happens  that  eructations  occur  some  hours  later.  Sau- 
sage is  made  of  various  refuse  substances  from  the  slaughter- 
houses, such  as  the  lungs,  liver,  heart,  etc.,  all  of  which  are 
forced  into  the  protecting  skin,  which  is  too  thick  for  us  to  see 
through,  so  that  we  can  never  tell  what  is  inside.  How  right 
was  old  Father  Cats  when  he  said  of  sausage : — 

"Wie  Worste  kouwt, 
en  weduwe  trouwt, 
die  weet  niet  wat  daar  is  ingedouwd." 

(Literal  translation:  "He  who  eats  sausage,  and  has  faith 
in  widows,  does  not  know  what  they  are  hiding.")  Although 
we  da  not  fully  agree  with  him  in  respect  to  the  widows,  as 
far  as  the  sausage  is  concerned  we  never  know  what  we  have 
to  deal  with  until,  as  Robert  Hutchison  so  truly  says,  "we  have 
eaten  it  up,"  and  it  is  just  for  this  reason  that  we  consider 
sausage  as  an  unhygienic  food,  and  partially  also  because  it 
contains  such  a  considerable  quantity  of  condiments.  The 
fact  that  it  is  also  frequently  made  from  horse-  and  mule-  meat 
would  not,  of  itself,  make  it  unhealthy,  but  the  use  of  meat  that 
is  unfit,  spoiled,  and  injurious  does  make  it  so.  Sausage  often 
contains  very  harmful  poisons,  which  cause  the  much-dreaded 
cases  of  sausage  poisoning.  When  the  meat  has  been  stuffed 
into  the  sausages  it  cannot  well  be  inspected  to  find  out  whether 
it  is  fresh  or  otherwise.    This  might  perhaps  be  detected  by  the 


128  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

sense  of  smell  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  any  bad  odor  is 
pretty  well  disguised  by  various  ingredients  which  have  been 
added  to  the  meat,  and  which  are  often  injurious.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  be  exceedingly  careful  when  buying  sausage.  Only  the 
very  best  quality  should  be  used,  if  one  does  not  wish  to  harm 
the  stomach.  The  most  useful  among  the  various  varieties  of 
sausage  is  blood-pudding,  for  reasons  which  have  already  been 
given  in  my  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred."^  I  may  merely 
say  here  that  blood  forms  a  very  strengthening  food  substance, 
owing  to  the  quantity  of  albumin  it  contains.  According  to 
Konig,2  blood-pudding  or  sausage  contains  11.81  per  cent, 
nitrogenous  matter  in  the  original  form,  and  pretty  nearly  the 
same  amount  of  fat,  together  with  25  per  cent,  of  extractive 
substance  free  from  nitrogen ;  in  the  dry  substance  it  contains 
24  per  cent,  of  nitrogenous  material  and  22  per  cent,  of  fat. 
Blood  is  an  important  nutritive  substance  owing  to  its  content 
in  important  nutritive  salts,  like  iron ;  this  is  especially  true  of 
pigs'  blood,  from  which  blood-pudding  is  usually  made.  Ac- 
cording to  Bunge,  it  contains  more  iron  than  any  other  food 
substance;  100  grams  of  pigs'  blood,  he  says,  contain  226  mg. 
of  iron.  The  quantity  of  lecithin  in  pigs'  blood  is  also'  not 
inconsiderable ;  according  to  Abderhalden,  0.231  per  cent.  The 
content  of  protective  substances  in  the  blood  is  also  important, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  secretions  from  the  internal  glands,  the 
thyroid,  adrenals,  etc.,  which  are  carried  into  the  blood.  We 
might  still  add  that  fresh  blood-pudding  is  not  difficult  to 
digest  and  is  a  healthful  food ;  and  since,  as  we  have  said,  it 
contains  organic  secretions,  it  is  an  organotherapeutic  curative 
agent.  According  to  the  investigations  of  Bessau  and  Schmidt, 
in  regard  to  the  purin  contents  of  various  foods,  blood-pudding 
is  characterized  by  the  fact  that  no  purin  is  contained  therein. 


1  Chapter  on  "The  Blood  of  Animals  as  an  Iron-containing  Food, 
and  as  an  Organotherapeutic  Remedy." 

2  Konig :   i,  S.  76. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     129 

and  consequently  it  does  not  facilitate  the  formation  of  uric 
acid.  The  ingestion  of  blood-pudding  is  especially  indicated 
in  anemic,  chlorotic  girls  and  women,  who  would  not  need  to 
buy  manufactured  preparations  of  iron  when  they  can  have 
in  this  food  a  most  useful  organic  iron  preparation  which  is 
nourishing  as  well.  In  Scandinavia  some  very  inviting,  good- 
tasting  dishes  are  prepared  from  blood-pudding,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  flour,  barley,  and  raisins. 

3.  Advantages  and  Disadvantages  of  Meat  Extracts 
and  Meat  Soups. 

Various  nations,  like  the  Abyssinians,  are  accustomed  to 
eat  their  meat  raw.  On  certain  days  great  festivals  are  held 
(Brunde)  and  very  great  quantities  of  raw  meat  are  eaten. 
These  people  afterward  are  very  much  excited  and  as  if  in- 
toxicated, as  has  been  stated  by  Johnston,  who  has  traveled 
through  vast  regions  in  southern  Abyssinia.  Dundas  Thomp- 
son writes  in  the  same  way  concerning  an  Indian  tribe  which 
usually  eats  vegetable  food,  but  which  at  a  festive  meal  ate,  in 
his  presence,  much  raw  meat.  About  one  or  two  hours  later 
they  seemed  to  be  greatly  intoxicated  by  the  meat.  We  must 
conclude,  from  these  observations,  that  the  ingestion  of  large 
quantities  of  raw  meat  exerts  a  very  stimulating  action  upon 
the  nervous  system.  Druitt  reports  similar  effects.  He  found 
that  the  use  of  a  fluid  extract  which  he  prepared  from  raw 
meat  had,  after  a  short  time,  a  very  stimulating  action  upon 
the  brain.  These  exciting  effects  may  also  be  observed  after 
the  use  of  Liebig's  meat  extract. 

Explorers,  after  traveling  in  regions  where  no  meat  was 
to  be  had,  have  often  reported  the  very  valuable  services  ren- 
dered by  the  use  of  such  meat  extracts  in  connection  with  their 
otherwise  exclusively  vegetable  diet,  and  what  an  exhilarating 
effect  it  had  upon  them.     As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  substances 


130  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

obtained  from  the  meat  which  are  contained  in  such  an  ex- 
tract are  the  same  as  those  found  in  raw  meat,  which,  as 
stated  above,  has  such  a  stimulating  action.  The  substances 
which  produce  this  enlivening  effect  upon  the  nervous  system 
are  the  potash  salts  and  the  meat  bases.  The  exhilarating 
action  is,  to  be  sure,  fallowed,  as  is  usually  the  case  with 
stimulants,  by  a  depressed  condition;  but  this  only  occurs,  as 
in  the  case  oi  the  latter,  when  too  much  raw  meat  has  been 
taken. 

All  these  substances  are  eliminated  from  the  meat,  which 
contains  a  considerable  amount  of  fluid,  during  the  process  of 
cooking;  they  are  fairly  washed  out  and  the  meat  is  absolutely 
soaked  out,  especially  when  it  is  put  in  cold  water,  and  is  then 
gradually  heated  and  boiled.  The  fluid  and  soluble  portions  of 
the  meat  are  extracted,  but  they  have  very  little,  if  any, 
nourishing  value.  Of  the  albumin  only  a  very  small  quantity 
is  withdrawn,  and  this  is  then  skimmed  off,  so  that  it  is  entirely 
lost.  When  ^  kilo  of  beef  and  189  grams  of  veal  bones  are 
boiled,  543  c.c.  of  soup  is  obtained,  as  found  by  Konig,  which 
contains  1.19  per  cent,  of  albumin,  1.40  per  cent,  of  fat,  1.83 
per  cent,  of  the  o-ther  extractive  substances,  0.152  per  cent,  of 
potash  salts,  and  0.089  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid.  We  thus 
see  that  potash  salts  and  phosphoric  acid  are  present  in  not 
inconsiderable  quantities,  in  a  soluble  and  easily  absorbed  form. 
According  to  Konig,  50  per  cent,  of  the  extractive  substances 
and  80  per  cent,  of  the  nutritive  salts  are  found  in  the  soup. 
In  the  ash,  Konig  states,  will  be  found  30  per  cent,  of  phos- 
phoric acid,  42  per  cent,  potash,  0.2  per  cent,  oxide  of  iron, 
and  considerable  common  salt,  about  9.63  per  cent.  The  ex- 
tractive substances  are  creatin,  creatinin,  xanthin,  guanin, 
sarcin,  etc.,  and  also  small  quantities  of  urea,  uric  acid,  etc. 
The  quantity  of  these  extractive  substances  and  the  taste  of 
the  soup  and  juice  depend  upn^n  the  quality  of  the  meat,  its 
origin,   and   the   mode  of  death.      The   meat  of  full-grown 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     131 

animals  is  the  best  for  this  purpose,  and  an  old  chicken  will 
make  a  much  better  meat  soup  than  a  young  one.  Veal,  on 
the  other  hand,  owing  to  its  tender  fibers,  will  more  readily 
give  off  its  juices,  as  has  been  stated  by  Max  Adler;  conse- 
quently, veal  puree  and  veal  soup  contain  more  extractive  sub- 
stances. It  is  most  natural  that  the  fresh  raw  meat  of  an 
animal  raised  in  the  fertile  meadows  of  northern  Texas  or 
Nebraska,  or  in  the  pampas  of  the  Argentine  Republic,  would 
give  a  much  better  juice  than  that  of  animals  feeding  on  our 
poor  meadows,  although  some  of  the  European  pastures,  espe- 
cially the  Hungarian  and  Dutch,  as  well  as  the  English,  furnish 
a  very  good  tasting  and  fine  quality  of  meat.  However,  in  no 
part  of  the  world  are  such  great  numbers  of  exceptionally 
fine  cattle  raised  as  in  the  Argentine  Republic.  Here,  meat  is 
so  plentiful  that  the  Chaco  Indians  and  the  Gauchos  feed  almost 
exclusively  upon  it.  While  Sir  Henry  Head  was,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  last  century,  riding  across  the  unbounded  pampas 
on  horseback,  for  weeks  at  a  time,  he  lived  entirely  on  meat 
and  water,  and  he  affirmed^  that  he  never  in  his  life  felt  so  fresh 
and  well.  Had  Sir  Henry  adhered  to  this  diet  for  a  longer 
time,  and  had  he  not  been  most  of  the  time  in  the  saddle,  and 
consequently  getting  plenty  of  exercise,  he  would  probably, 
later  on,  not  have  escaped  the  gout,  which  so  frequently  oc- 
curs among  the  meat-eating  people  of  his  country. 

It  is,  therefore,  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  Liebig  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  utilizing  this  great  abundance  of  meat,  which 
he  believed  to  be  a  necessity,  in  view  of  the  many  people 
suffering  from  meat  famine  in  many  parts  of  Europe.  He 
built  factories  and  started  the  wholesale  manufacture  of  the 
Liebig  meat  extract,  which,  he  states,  is  obtained  by  the  with- 
drawal of  the  juices  from  fresh  meat  which  is  chopped  up, 
after  having  been  freed  from  fat  and  tendons,  and  is  then 
placed  in  hot  water.    The  solution  obtained  is  first  filtered,  and 

1  After  Pavy. 


132 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


afterward  evaporated  in  large  vats  to  the  consistency  of  a  thick 
syrup.  He  adds  8  to  lo  times  the  quantity  of  water  to  the 
meat,  which  is  boiled  for  half  an  hour.  According  to  Liebig, 
30  pounds  of  lean  beef  are  required  to  make  one  pound  of 
meat  extract. 

We  shall  now  show  the  chemical  composition  of  certain 
varieties  of  meat  extract. 

According  to  Konig,^  Liebig's  meat  extract  contains: — 

17.70  per  cent,  water. 

61.04  per  cent,  organic  substances. 

9.17  per  cent,  nitrogen — total. 

0.36  percent,  insoluble  and  coagulable  proteins. 

6.01  per  cent,  albumoses. 

0.59  per  cent,  ammonia. 

59.08  per  cent,  various  nitrogenous  compounds. 
21.46  per  cent,  nutritive  salts. 

8.98  per  cent,  potash. 

7.75  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid. 

3.99  per  cent,  common  salt. 

According  to  Flehner,^  certain  meat  extracts  are  composed 
as  follows : — 


i 

3 

0 

a 

a 

1 
1 

i 
0 

a 

< 

i 

S 

a 

(2 

I 

Liebig's    ex- 
tract  

Armour's  ex- 
tract    

15.26 
15.97 
54.53 
28.34 

0.34 
0.21 
0.10 

1.07 

5.18 
3.31 
0.75 
4.56 

2.12 

2.01 
1.75 
2.00 

8.38 

8.06 
5.13 
2.87 
3.18 

39.30 
41.12 
12.48 
19.38 

28.31 
29.36 

Valentine's 
meat  juice  . 

Bovril    fluid 
meat  juice  . 

0.25 
5.37 

12.01 
17.67 

When  a  certain  quantity  of  water  is  added  to  these  meat 
extracts,  a  good  soup  can  be  made.  With  one-quarter  of  a 
pound  of  Liebig's  extract,  it  is  said  that  as  much  bouillon  can 


1  Konig :   ii,  S.  55. 

2  Flehner  :    Quoted  after  Duncan. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     133 

be  made  as  could  be  obtained  from  8  to  9  pounds  of  bones  and 
fat-free  beef. 

Now,  as  to  the  value  of  meat  soups  and  meat  extracts,  I 
would,  in  consequence  of  their  stimulating  action,  be  inclined 
to  consider  them,  as  the  other  stimulants,  alcohol,  etc.,  as  a 
sort  of  medicine,  and  as  such  they  have  an  excellent  effect. 
They  may  be,  as  has  often  been  suggested,  mixed  with  and 
taken  in  tea,  whereby  the  exciting  and  exhilarating  effect  is 
increased.  Avicenna  already  recommended  meat  soups  after 
great  exertion,  and  in  conditions  of  exhaustion  in  general 
Convalescents  and  invalids  will  be  benefited  by  a  cup  of  good 
bouillon,  or  by  the  addition  of  meat  extract  to  an  otherwise 
weak  bouillon.  They  do  not  obtain  nourishment  from  this, 
but  are  stimulated,  and  often  feel  somewhat  stronger. 

The  resisting  capacity  of  such  weak  persons  against  in- 
fections in  general  is  thus  increased,  according  to  a  series  of 
experiments.  Richet,  in  experimenting  on  dogs,  found  that 
raw  meat  was  very  efficacious  as  a  preventive  of  infection  by 
tuberculosis.  This  property  is,  on  the  other  hand,  entirely 
absent  in  the  case  of  cooked  meat,  which  no  longer  has  any 
extractive  substances,  and  from  which  soup  cannot  be  made. 
Together  with  the  juice  of  the  meat,  certain  protective  sub- 
stances which  are  found  in  the  blood  are  also  extracted,  as  well 
as  the  products  of  the  ductless  glands,  particularly  the  thyroid, 
which  has  an  important  immunizing  action  against  all  kinds  of 
infections — a  subject  I  have  fully  explained  in  my  work  on 
"Old  Age  Deferred."  I  have  also  shown  (at  the  Tuberculosis 
Congress  in  Paris,  1905)  that  the  thyroid  plays  an  important 
role  against  contagion  in  tuberculosis.  It  is  precisely  this 
stimulating  action  of  the  juice  of  the  raw  meat  upon  the  thyroid 
which  probably  causes  the  excitant  effect  upon  the  nerves,  for, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  the  thyroid  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant regulators  of  the  nervous  system,  and  a  diseased 
condition  of  this  gland  always  causes  changes  in  this  system. 


134  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Another  effect  produced  by  meat  soups  and  meat  extracts 
in  general  is  a  very  powerful  stimulation  of  the  digestive  func- 
tions, as  has  been  shown  through  the  researches  of  Pawlow. 
When  there  is  a  lack  of  appetite,  probably  no  medicinal  agent 
is  more  effective  in  stimulating  it  than  a  good  cup  of  bouillon 
taken  just  before  eating.  A  further  action  of  the  meat  soups 
is  the  diuretic  effect  due  to  the  meat  extracts  contained  therein, 
which  causes  a  rapid  elimination  of  considerable  quantities  of 
urea.  This  no  doubt  stands  in  causal  relation  to  the  increase 
of  blood-pressure  induced  by  the  meat  extracts.  These  ex- 
tracts undoubtedly  exert  an  irritating  action  during  their  pass- 
age through  the  kidneys;  hence,  meat  juices  or  soups  also  have 
an  injurious  action,  and  should  only  be  given  to  persons  with 
sound  kidneys.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  they  increase  the  blood- 
pressure,  meat  extracts  and  bouillon  may  exert  a  very  prej- 
udicial effect  in  cases  of  arteriosclerosis.  For  such  persons, 
who  usually  already  have  a  high  blood-pressure,  the  use  of 
meat  bouillons  is  not  indicated,  as,  otherwise,  the  process  of 
arteriosclerosis  may  be  favored.  In  consequence  of  its  stimu- 
lating action  upon  the  thyroid  gland,  the  use  of  meat  extracts 
when  this  organ  is  diseased  may  bring  about  most  injurious 
effects,  and  should  not  be  allowed ;  it  is  for  this  reason,  too, 
that  in  advanced  age,  a  state  primarily  to  be  ascribed  to  a 
degeneration  of  the  thyroid  gland,  the  use  of  meat  extracts 
should  be  avoided.  This  is  all  the  more  necessary  since  the 
kidneys  and  liver  have  also  undergone  more  or  less  degenera- 
tive alterations.  In  advanced  age,  a  glass  of  milk  should  be 
preferred  to  a  cup  of  bouillon ;  whether,  however,  the  former 
will  be  equally  well  liked  is  a  question.  In  my  experience,  I 
have  found  that  old  people  usually  have  an  instinctive  aversion 
for  bloody  meats,  and  sometimes  also  for  bouillon.  Nature 
often  warns  man  in  this  way  against  injurious  foods.  For 
patients  suffering  from  diseases  of  the  liver,  the  use  of  meat 
extracts  should  be  strictly  prohibited,  for  we  have  learned  from 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  o-f  Various  Food  Substances.     135 

the  experiments  of  PawloAv  that  it  is  just  these  extractive  sub- 
stances of  the  meat  which  have  such  a  harmful  action  when 
derived  from  the  circulation  by  the  liver,  which  is  obliged  to 
destroy  the  poisons  they  contain.  When  the  liver  is  diseased, 
it  is  unable  to  do  this.  That  gouty  and  diabetic  patients  will 
not  be  benefited  by  bouillon  will  have  been  understood  from 
the  previous  chapter.  While,  thus,  in  certain  diseases,  meat 
soups  are  not  indicated,  when  taken  occasionally  by  healthy 
persons,  they  may  render  good  service,  but  we  do  not  recom- 
mend them  for  daily  use. 

In  children,  even  large  amounts  of  meat  extract  are  not 
injurious;  on  the  contrary,  as  Lehmann  has  shown  in  his  ex- 
periments upon  two  children  who  had  been  weakened  by  a 
deficient  diet,  the  taking  of  large  quantities  of  meat  extract 
caused  a  daily  improvement  and  development.  This  is  to  be 
explained  by  the  stimulating  action  of  these  extracts  upon  the 
thyroid,  by  which,  as  we  have  already  stated  in  the  first  chapter 
of  this  work,  growth  may  be  stimulated ;  but  for  healthy  adults 
and  for  old  persons  we  would  not  advocate  the  daily  use  of 
meat  juices  and  extracts. 

4.  The  Advantages  of  Meat  in  Small  Quantities,  and 
its  Disadvantages  in  Large  Amounts. 

We  would  probably  not  be  justified  in  going  so  far  as  to 
consider  small  amounts  of  meat  as  a  poison,  as  is  done  by  so 
many;  even  as  quite  limited  quantities  of  alcohol  should  not 
be  regarded  as  a  poison.  The  latter  may,  indeed,  be  of  some 
service  to  many.  Meat  in  small  amounts  is  not  only  useful,  but 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  growing  children.  For  these,  espe- 
cially at  the  age  of  puberty,  when  the  growth  is  stimulated, 
large  amounts  of  albumin  are  necessary,  in  order  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  organism  in  regard  to  this  substance.  The 
growing  child,  in  which  the  albuminous  tissues  are  to  be  built 


136  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

up,  and  the  adult,  who  has  through  disease  lost  much  of  these 
tissues,  require  a  large  amount  of  albumin.  We  have  seen 
that  this  is  most  readily  absorbed  and  assimilated  in  the  form 
of  meat,  especially  in  the  cases  where,  owing  to  previous  illness, 
intestinal  activity  is  impaired.  Another  important  circum- 
stance is  greatly  in  favor  of  its  use,  namely,  that  probably  in  no 
food,  and  least  of  all  in  vegetable  foods,  can  the  most  impor- 
tant component  of  an  albuminous  diet,  namely,  the  nuclein,  be 
so  quickly  absorbed  by  our  bodies.  This  has  been  conclusively 
shown  by  the  experiments  of  Jebbink,  which  have  recently 
been  made  in  Professor  Salter's  Institute  of  Chemistry  in 
Amsterdam.  There  is  probably  no  more  important  substance 
in  our  bodies  than  this  very  nuclein,  which  forms  a  basic  por- 
tion of  the  cell  nuclei,  from  the  nucleoproteids  of  which  the 
nuclein  is  freed  during  the  process  of  digestion. 

As  Aron  has  admirably  stated,  the  cell-nuclei  are  the 
carriers  of  the  life  process,  since  the  propagation  of  the  cells  is 
furthered  by  them.  The  very  important  white  blood-corpus- 
cles, according  to  Lilienfeld,  contain,  in  the  thymus,  for  in- 
stance, not  less  than  yy  per  cent,  of  nucleoproteids  in  their 
dry  substance.  The  spermatozoa  necessary  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  mankind  and  of  the  lower  animals  as  well  consist,  to  a 
great  extent,  of  these  nucleoproteids,  as  their  heads  have  a 
similar  composition  as  that  of  the  cell-nuclei. 

Moreover,  a  whole  series  of  organs  among  the  most  im- 
portant of  our  bodies,  as  the  glands  of  internal  secretion  and 
the  brain, — in  fact,  all  the  glandular  organs, — consist  largely  of 
nucleins;  they  are  the  tissues  of  the  body  most  rich  in  this 
substance.  It  is  an  undisputed  fact  that  these  cellular  nuclei 
are  built  up  with  the  aid  of  the  nucleins  which  are  absorbed 
with  our  food,  and  which  are  then  used  for  this  purpose.  The 
greatest  quantity  of  and  the  most  rapidly  assimilated  nucleins 
are  at  our  disposal  in  animal  food,  especially  in  the  form  of 
meat  rich  in  nuclein,  such  as  glandular  organs,  sweetbreads, 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     137 

liver,  and  kidneys,  for  instance.  We  may,  in  this  connection, 
also  be  justified  in  resorting  to  the  teachings  of  organotherapy, 
now  undisputed,  from  which  it  follows  that  when  we  take 
portions  or  extracts  of  any  glandular  organ,  such  as  the  thyroid 
or  the  ovaries,  etc.,  a  powerful  influence  is  exerted  upon  the 
corresponding  glands  in  our  bodies.  With  this  object  in  view 
the  other  glandular  organs,  such  as  the  kidneys  and  liver,  have 
been  used,  and  not  without  results,  according  to  the  labors  ol 
a  whole  series  of  authors.  In  other  words :  I  cannot  convince 
myself  that  the  substance  so  important  and  necessary  for  our 
bodies,  albumin,  which  is,  for  instance,  found  in  spinach,  or 
even  in  vegetables  such  as  beans  and  peas,  can  be  used  with 
such  good  results  as  the  albumin  of  meat,  which  so  closely 
corresponds  in  its  composition  with  that  of  our  bodies,  the 
cells  of  which  it  is  to  rebuild.  The  animal  albumin  must,  in 
comparison  with  others  of  vegetable  origin,  be  considered  as 
more  valuable,  and  better  adapted  to  take  the  place  of  the  body 
albumin,  especially  when  we  consider  that,  according  to  Fischer 
and  Abderhalden,  the  various  albuminoid  bodies,  even  when 
they  are  built  from  the  same  stones,  as  it  were,  group  them- 
selves in  various  ways,  according  to  the  variety  or  kind. 
Furthermore,  as  stated  by  Osborne  and  Clapp,^  the  various 
constituents  of  albumin,  as  they  are,  for  instance,  contained  in 
wheat,  glidin,  glutein,  and  leucosin,  give  off  large  quantities  of 
decomposition  products.  It  is,  therefore,  to  be  supposed  that 
these  differences  of  the  albumin  bodies  would  likewise  mani- 
fest themselves  in  their  physiological  actions  and  in  our  nutri- 
tion, and  that  there  would  be  a  difference,  in  this  respect,  be- 
tween the  animal  and  vegetable  varieties  of  albumin.  When, 
thus,  both  animal  and  vegetable  albumins  are  at  the  disposal  of 
the  body  for  the  building  up  of  its  tissues,  it  is  owing  to  these 
facts,  very  probably,  that  after  the  absorption  in  the  blood,  and 
the  transformation  of  the  albuminoid  bodies  of  various  origins 

1  Quoted  after  Chittenden. 


138  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

into  the  albumin  of  our  bodies,  the  animal  varieties  are  given 
the  preference,  i.e.,  chiefly  utilized  by  our  cells. 

While,  with  animal  food,  more  nucleins  are  absorbed, 
more  organic  phosphorus,  which  is  the  most  useful  combina- 
tion for  us,  is  likewise  absorbed,  so  that  we  may  here  also  see 
an  advantage  in  the  nuclein-rich  animal  and  fish  diet.  By  this 
diet,  also,  which  is  most  important,  the  actiop  of  certain  duct- 
less glands,  particularly  the  thyroid,  is  stimulated,  and  the 
increased  activity  of  this  gland  has  a  protective  influence 
against  infectious  diseases,  as  tuberculosis.  This  would  explain 
the  fact,  as  has  been  found  by  Richet  and  others,  that  raw 
meat  possesses  a  special  activity  against  tuberculosis  which  is 
entirely  absent  in  cooked  meat.  The  elucidation  of  this  fact  is 
furnished  by  the  experiments  of  Breisacher,  in  the  laboratory 
of  Munk,  who  states  that  the  extractives  of  meat  excite  the 
thyroid,  while  cooked  meat  does  not  have  this  effect.  It  is 
especially  to  be  remembered  that  the  extract  of  the  thyroid 
gland  which  is  given  off  into  the  blood  is  found  in  the  blood 
of  raw  meat,  so  that  the  latter  will,  in  the  same  way  as  is  done 
by  the  therapeutic  administration  of  the  thyroid  extract,  stimu- 
late the  activity  of  this  gland.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  in 
the  case  of  delicate  children  with  a  predisposition  to  tuber- 
culosis, and  especially  during  the  period  of  growth,  rare  beef- 
steaks and  similar  foods  should  not  be  spared,  while  with 
growing  children,  particularly  at  the  time  of  puberty,  nuclein- 
rich  foods  in  the  form  of  liver,  kidneys,  etc.,  should  be 
given  the  preference,  since  they  are  also  rich  in  lecithin  and 
phosphorus.  In  this  way  the  growth  of  these  children  will  be 
greatly  helped.  It  is,  however,  a  striking  fact  in  regard  to  our 
diet  that  there  is  scarcely  one  of  the  most  useful  foods  that 
does  not  have  its  disadvantages,  and  consequently,  in  the  case 
of  adults,  and  particularly  persons  of  advanced  age,  foods  rich 
in  nucleins  may  prove  very  injurious.  The  nucleins  form 
purin  bases  during  the  disintegration  process,  and  from  these 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     139 

uric  acid  is  formed,  so  that  with  food  rich  in  niiclein  gout  is 
furthered.  All  such  patients,  and  also  those  suffering  from 
arteriosclerosis,  should  avoid  such  foods,  as  otherwise  the 
blood-pressure  will  be  greatly  increased.  In  arteriosclerotics 
a  meat  diet  is  harmful,  because  it  increases  the  inner  resistance 
of  the  vessels  to  the  blood-stream  (Determann).  The  elimina- 
tion of  sugar  in  diabetes  is  also  very  injuriously  affected  by 
such  a  diet,  to  which  fact  I  have  already  called  attention  in 
former  works.  In  all  the  above-mentioned  affections  meat  is 
not  indicated ;  in  diabetes  its  use  must  be  restricted  as  far  as  is 
possible,  and  in  severe  cases  should  be  entirely  avoided,  for 
reasons  which  I  have  fully  explained  in  my  recently  published 
book  on  this  disease. 

The  milk-egg-vegetable  diet  is  the  best  for  all  such 
patients,  and  is  likewise  indicated  in  many  chronic  diseases  of 
the  intestines,  especially  where  bacterial  decomposition  influ- 
ences are  present,  in  which  case  a  meat  diet  is  to  be  avoided. 
Neither  should  it  be  taken  in  liver  affections,  in  which  the 
extractive  substances  of  the  meat  would  have  a  very  injurious 
action.  When,  in  experiments  on  dogs,  as  Pawlow  has  shown, 
the  liver  is  excluded  from  the  circulation,  as  by  means  of  an 
Eck  fistula,  these  dogs  instinctively  avoid  all  meat.  When  it 
is  introduced  into  the  stomach  in  the  form  of  powder,  through 
a  stomach  tube,  the  dogs  fare  very  badly.  They  show  symp- 
toms of  poisoning,  and  would  soon  die  if  the  meat  diet  were 
continued.  It  is  most  surprising  that  bouillon — the  extractive 
substances  of  the  meat — alone  will  surely  bring  on  such  at- 
tacks. It  follows,  therefore,  that  rare,  bloody  meat  and  bouillon, 
in  particular,  should  not  be  given  to  liver  patients.  Meat  in 
general  is  a  poor  food  for  them,  and  in  diseases  of  the  kidneys, 
except  in  certain  cases,  it  is  likewise  not  indicated.  Boiled  and 
white  meats  might  be  given  the  preference,  since  the  extract- 
ives are  withdrawn  by  the  cooking  process,  especially  in  the 
case  of  white  meats  and  fish,  in  which  the  tissues  are  tender, 


140  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

while  in  beef,  which  is  so  much  harder  and  firmer,  these  juices 
are  not  so  readily  given  off. 

While  during  youth,  especially  during  the  period  of 
growth,  the  use  of  meat  may  be  very  beneficial,  when  not  taken 
in  too  large  quantities,  it  is  not  required  by  the  adult,  nor  by 
persons  of  advanced  age ;  and  when,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  taken 
in  large  quantities,  as  in  England  and  America,  three  times 
per  day,  or  with  us  twice  a  day  in  large  amounts,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  action  of  the  decomposition  products  may  prove 
very  prejudicial  to  our  organs.  When  therefore,  in  advanced 
age,  it  is  not  desired  to  suppress  meat  entirely  (which  would  be 
decidedly  the  best)  and  to  limit  one's  self  to  a  milk-egg-vege- 
table diet,  which  I  consider  the  most  rational  one  for  man,  it 
would  at  least  be  advisable  to  take  only  very  limited  quantities 
of  meat,  and  this  not  oftener  than  once  each  day. 

5.  Concerning  the  Necessity  of  a  Humane  Method  of 
Killing  Animals. 

When  an  animal  is  tormented  its  glands  give  off  quite  an 
amount  of  secretion,  as  the  excitement  develops  in  them  an  in- 
creased activity,  during  which  the  ductless  glands  secrete  cer- 
tain poisonous  substances,  as  has  been  shown  in  our  work  on 
"Old  Age  Deferred."  That  the  secretion  of  the  ductless  glands 
is  thrown  directly  into  the  blood  is  an  undisputed  fact,  and  that 
these  glands  are  more  active  according  to  the  emotions  can  be 
readily  seen  in  animals — as  in  the  stag,  when  troating — an 
expression  of  sexual  excitement — the  thyroid  gland  becomes 
swollen.  In  some  animals  the  swelling  is  so  great,  when  they 
are  tormented,  as  to  form  a  kind  of  goiter.  That  this  secre- 
tion of  the  gland  is  thrown  into  the  blood  and  is  then  taken  up 
in  the  muscular  tissues — the  meat — is  best  shown  by  the  fact 
that  the  meat  of  male  animals,  like  the  steer,  has  an  unpleasant 
odor.     This  odor  is  especially  pronounced  in  the  he-goat,  and 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     141 

probably  no  one  would  be  able  to  eat  of  this  ill-smelling  meat. 
It  is  impossible  to  get  rid  of  this  odor.  The  cooks  in  Paris, 
during  the  siege  of  the  city  by  the  German  army,  tried  in  every 
possible  way  to  do  away  with  this  most  unpleasant  odor  of  the 
meat  of  the  male  goat,  the  only  meat  which  was  to  be  had  in 
the  best  restaurants ;  they  tried  strong  acids,  but  to  no 
effect ;  the  odor  remained.  In  the  same  way  it  is  impossible 
to  remove  from  the  meat  of  the  muskrat  the  odor  of  musk 
which  permeates  it  during  the  mating  season.  In  the  same 
way  as  these  substances  are  secreted  by  the  sexual  glands, 
so  are  others  produced  by  other  glands.  We  know  that  these 
glandular  extracts,  when  secreted  in  large  quantities,  have 
certain  poisonous  attributes — which  fact  has  been  unquestion- 
ably proven  in  the  case  of  the  thyroid  gland.  That  the  sexual 
glands  also  secrete  such  poisonous  substances,  which  have  a 
deleterious  effect  upon  the  nervous  system  in  particular,  we 
have  likewise  shov/n  in  our  above-named  work.  That  the 
blood-serum,  which  contains  the  secretions  of  all  of  the  duct- 
less glands,  may  have  a  toxic  action  has  been  shown  by  the 
writings  of  Richet  and  others. 

These  toxic  effects  also  make  their  appearance  when  the 
meat  of  animals  is  eaten  in  which  all  the  blood  remains,  as,  for 
instance,  in  the  ducks  of  Rouen,  killed  in  such  a  cruel  way — 
by  suffocation.  Deaths  have  even  occurred  after  eating  of 
them.  Meat  which  contains  all  the  blood  becomes  very  rapidly 
decomposed,  as  is  also  the  case  with  the  tissues  of  the  ductless 
glands  as  soon  as  removed  from  the  body. 

When  animals  have  been  hunted  and  pursued,  the  meat 
contains  considerable  amounts  of  extractive  substances;  this 
is  proven  by  the  much  more  pronounced  taste  of  such  meat, 
which  is  rich  in  these  "fright-products."  Thus,  Liebig^  found 
that  the  muscular  meat  of  a  fox  which  had  been  brought  to  bay 

1  Liebig's  Annalen  nach  Schittenhelm  zitiert  in  Oppenheimeri 
"Handbuch  der  Biochemie,"  1910,  S.  537. 


142  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

during  the  chase  contained  a  larger  amount  of  creatin  than  that 
of  others  which  had  been  fed  in  the  house. 

It  is  not  heahhy  to  eat  the  meat  of  a  hunted  animal ;  before 
an  animal  is  killed  it  ought  to  be  well  rested.  When  we  see 
how  farmers'  wives  often  tie  up  a  chicken  in  a  handkerchief  so 
that  it  takes  up  as  little  room  as  possible  on  the  way  to  the 
market  where  it  is  to  be  killed,  we  can  imagine  what  torments 
are  endured  by  the  animal.  It  is,  consequently,  not  advisable 
to  kill  it  on  the  same  day ;  it  should  be  allowed  to  reco-ver  during 
a  couple  of  days  while  being  fed  upon  corn.  As  was  told  me 
at  the  Etoile  Beige  in  Brussels  last  year,  chickens  were  sent 
from  Italy  to  Belgium,  making  the  entire  journey  without 
food ;  some  few  of  the  animals  had  even  been  eaten  up  by  the 
rest.  Such  atrocities  should  be  prohibited  by  the  authorities, 
first  out  of  humane  kindness  for  the  animals,  and  secondly  with 
regard  to  health  considerations  based  upon  the  statements  made 
above.  How  terrible  must  be  the  sufferings  of  a  hare  when 
wounded  in  the  legs  by  shot,  and  forced  to  run,  shrieking  with 
pain !  The  more  intelligent  an  animal  is,  the  more  its  emotions 
are  excited,  and  the  toxic  substances  are  then  also  more  readily 
secreted  and  given  off  into  the  meat.  The  meat  of  castrated 
animals,  the  intelligence  of  which  has  been  impaired  by  the 
process,  as  is  also  the  case  in  persons  similarly  treated,  is  to  be 
preferred  for  reasons  given  in  our  book  on  "Old  Age  De- 
ferred." But  even  in  young  and  consequently  less  intelligent 
animals,  as  in  calves,  we  may  see  how  they  instinctively  object 
to  going  any  farther  when  they  are  being  led  to  slaughter  and 
smell  the  blood  of  their  comrades.  If  a  painless,  beautiful 
death,  the  "^vdavatoc,"  appeals  to  man  as  a  desirable  end, 
this  should  also  be  prescribed  by  law  for  animals,  if  only  out 
of  consideration  for  mankind.  The  eyes  of  the  animal  should 
be  bandaged  so  that  it  will  not  suspect  its  coming  end,  and  will 
die  in  a  state  of  composure  and  in  good  condition.  As  I  my- 
self saw  in  Chicago,  in  the  mammoth  slaughter  houses  of  the 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     143 

late  Mr.  Nelson  Morris, — who  emigrated,  in  poverty,  from 
Cannstadt  in  Wiirttemberg  to  that  city,  where  he  amassed  a 
fortune  of  25  millions  of  dollars, — the  animals  are  stood  in  a 
row,  and  a  powerful  negro  goes  down  the  line,  stunning — and 
occasionally  killing — each  animal  by  a  blow  upon  the  cranium 
with  a  dull  axe,  after  which  the  animal  is  hung  up  and  the 
jugulaf  vein-  is  cut,  thus  allowing  the  blood  to  run  out  while 
the  animal  is  still  hanging  up.  As  was  mentioned  above,  it  is 
more  healthy  to  eat  the  meat  of  animals  which  have  been  bled. 
Since,  as  already  stated,  the  meat  of  intelligent  animals  is 
more  injurious,  we  can  understand  how  reprehensible  is  the 
taste  of  those  who  are  capable  of  eating  the  meat  of  the  dog, 
the  truest  friend  of  man  among  animals. 

After  all  that  has  been  said  concerning  the  injurious  ef- 
fects of  the  extractive  substances  when  they  are  present  in 
large  amounts  and  are  frequently  indulged  in,  it  follows  that 
we  should  select  a  mode  of  death  which  would  in  the  first  place 
not  cause  the  animal  any  anxiety,  and  avoid  all  pain.  Even 
the  elementary  rules  of  humanity  would  require  us  to  do  this, 
although  we  may  not  be  always  able  to  follow  the  lofty  teach- 
ings of  the  old  philosophers  of  Hindustan  in  our  battle  for  life, 
which  decried  the  killing  of  any  animal  as  an  immoral  pro- 
cedure. Indeed,  one  sometimes  sees  persons  in  India  throwing 
rice  on  the  grass,  so  that  insects  may  feed  upon  it. 

One  should  at  least  carefully  see  to  it  that  the  animal  is 
not  unnecessarily  tormented.  It  is,  however,  so  arranged  in 
this  world  that  some  animals  can  only  keep  alive  by  taking  the 
life  of  some  other  animal.  In  nature,  during  every  minute  of 
the  day  or  night,  in  fact,  wholesale  murder  is  being  carried  on, 
in  the  air,  in  the  water,  above  and  below  the  earth,  and,  with 
vegetarian  principles,  a  tiger  or  a  lion,  for  example,  would  soon 
be  no  more.  If  man,  whose  foods  are  very  varied,  must  follow 
this  course,  which  is  tolerated  by  all  God-believing  religions, 
he  should,  at  least,  spare  the  animal  all  possible  pain.     And 


144  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

if  he  will  not  do  this  out  of  humane  feelings,  he  should,  in  view 
of  what  has  been  said  above,  do  so  out  of  consideration  for 
his  own  well-being.  That  the  taste  of  meaf  can  be  improved 
thereby  was  already  known  to  Shakespeare,  who  says  in  the 
Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,  Act  i.  Scene  i,  "I  wished  your 
venison  better;  it  was  ill  killed." 


{b)   Fish  Diet. 

I.  Nutritive  Value  and  OtJicr  Properties  of  Various 
Kinds  of  Fish  Foods. 

The  doctrines  of  certain  churches,  as  the  Roman  Catholic, 
the  Greek  Orthodox,  as  well  as  the  Anglican  Church,  forbid 
the  use  of  meat  during  certain  weeks  of  each  year,  and  also  on 
one  day  of  each  week,  and  recommend  the  use  of  fish.  This 
fact  corroborates  the  correctness  of  the  statement  made  in  our 
work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred"  that  the  practice  of  a  religious 
faith  has  a  good  influence  in  prolonging  our  life.  Fish  is  more 
easily  digested  and  is  much  better,  for  certain  reasons,  than 
meat.  When  one  has  at  different  times  eaten  an  equally  ample 
quantity  of  meat  and  fish,  he  usually  feels  less  weight  in  the 
stomach  after  the  fish,  and  this  when  even  a  rather  larger 
quantity  of  lean  fish  is  taken  than  of  the  meat.  Fish  in  general 
have  a  much  more  tender  flesh,  they  contain  more  water  than 
meat  usually  does,  and,  while  their  fiber  is  more  tender,  they 
are,  nevertheless,  nourishing.  Some  varieties  of  fish  do  not 
contain  any  less  albumin ;  some,  in  fact,  the  salmon,  perch,  and 
pike,  for  instance,  have  even  more  than  some  kinds  of  meat. 
This  form  of  albuminous  food  has  the  advantage  that,  with 
the  exception  of  some  few  kinds  of  fish,  such  as  the  carp  and 
salmon,  the  albumin  is  associated  with  other  quite  harmless 
substances,  and,  owing  to  the  very  limited  amount  of  extract- 
ive substances,  much  fewer  harmful  products  are  formed  than 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     145 

is  the  case  with  meat.  In  order,  however,  that  fish  outrank  the 
meat  as  a  diet,  it  is  requisite  that  the  fish  be  absolutely  fresh, 
for  there  is  no  kind  of  meat  which  spoils  so  rapidly  as  fish. 
Owing  to  this,  it  is  advisable  in  the  hot  summer  weather  to  dis- 
pense with  fish  unless  one  has  the  good  fortune  to  live  near  the 
water,  so  that  one  may  be  sure  of  eating  the  fish  on  the  day 
it  is  caught.  The  Aztecs  were  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  fresh 
fish  is  a  much  more  healthful  food  than  meat;  the  Emperor 
Montezuma  ate  it  daily,  the  fish  being  brought  from  distant 
shores  by  runners.  It  is  much  the  best  when  the  fish — which 
is  possible  in  the  fresh-water  varieties — is  brought  to  the 
kitchen  alive,  and  is  killed  only  a  very  short  time  before  it  is  to 
be  used.  The  meat  of  such  fish  has  a  different  appearance 
from  the  others ;  the  trout  looks  blue  and  the  meat  of  the  cod 
or  haddock  is  firm.  In  Holland  one  may  often  see  the  fish 
dealer  kill  the  fish  just  as  he  is  delivering  it,  making  deep  in- 
cisions into  the  quivering  body;  this  causes  contraction  of  the 
flesh,  which  can  only  be  seen  in  perfectly  fresh  cod  or  had- 
dock. The  eel  is  treated  even  more  barbarously,  for,  in  the 
belief  that  the  meat  tastes  better,  the  skin  is  pulled  off  while 
the  fish  is  yet  alive. 

Just  because  fish  contains  much  less  flavoring  substance 
than  does  meat,  it  is  most  important  that  it  be  fresh.  Nowhere 
else  is  it  possible  to  eat  such  good-tasting  sea  fish  as  in  Eng- 
land and  Holland,  and  in  Sweden  and  Norway,  because  it 
goes  directly  into  the  hands  and  stomach  of  the  purchaser.  In 
Paris  and  in  other  cities  of  the  Continent  it  is  more  difficult  to 
obtain  such  fish,  and  the  longer  the  fish  travels  on  the  ice  the 
more  it  loses  its  taste.  This  does  not  mean  that  it  loses  any  of 
its  merit  as  a  healthful  food  when  well  packed  in  ice  and  eaten 
soon  after  its  arrival.  Generally  speaking,  a  fish  diet  is  most 
healthful  when  the  fish  is  eaten  at  not  too  great  a  distance  from 
its  home.  The  taste  of  the  fish  depends,  as  does  that  of  meat, 
upon  its  food  and  its  abiding  place.    Usually  the  fish  living  in 


146  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

deep  water,  and  those  of  mountain  streams,  are  the  most 
healthful;  those  living  in  unclean,  muddy  water  are  much  less 
so,  and  Galenus  already  decried  the  use  of  such  fish,  especially 
when  they  are  caught  in  waters  below  a  city. 

The  use  of  fish  without  scales  was  strictly  prohibited  by 
Moses,^  and  it  is  very  interesting  to  note  that  the  same  law 
exists  among  the  Hottentots  and  the  Bushmen  in  South  Africa, 
who,  like  the  Jews,  do  not  eat  pork.  Certain  fish  found  in 
tropical  regions,  as  in  Cuba,  Florida,  etc.,  are  very  poisonous. 
In  these  sections  there  is  a  phenomenal  quantity  of  fish,  as  I 
was  able  to  observe  during  a  two  weeks'  stay  in  Miami  and 
Palm  Beach,  in  Florida,  during  the  winter  of  1906- 1907. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  many  of  these  fish  eat  poisonous 
medusse  and  other  harmful  substances,  decomposed  bodies,  etc., 
their  meat  becomes  poisonous.  When,  however,  care  is  taken 
to  at  once  remove  the  head  and  intestine  when  they  are  caught, 
the  meat  proper  may  be  eaten  without  fear  of  untoward  results. 

Fresh  fish  is  not  only  the  best,  but  it  is  the  most  readily 
digested ;  it  tastes  best  when  fried  or  baked,  as  by  boiling  the 
savory  elements  are  even  more  easily  drawn  out  from  the  fish 
than  they  are  from  meat.  Smoked  fish  is  quite  as  digestible 
as  boiled  fish,  but  the  same  is  not  the  case  with  the  dried  and 
salted  varieties.  Penzoldt  found,  in  regard  to  the  digestibility 
of  fish,  that  }i  kg.  of  whitefish  was  digested  in  two  and  one- 
half  to  two  and  three-quarter  hours,  while  the  same  quantity 
of  meat  took  three  and  one-quarter  hours.  Herring  required 
the  most  time, — about  four  hours.  According  to  Rubner, 
Atwater,  and  others,  fresh  fish  meat  is  quite  as  well  assimilated 
as  beef,  as  will  also  be  seen  in  the  writings  of  Langworthy, 
who  found  that,  of  the  fish,  only  5  per  cent,  of  albumin  and  10 
per  cent,  of  fat  were  lost.  Slowzoff  recently  affirmed  that 
freshly  cooked  fish  was  even  better  assimilated  than  meat;  he 
also  found  that  smoked  fish  was  as  well  assimilated  as  that 


1  Leviticus,  ix,  9,  12;  after  Pavy. 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  J^arious  Food  Substances.     147 


which  was  cooked,  but  the  salted  and  dried  kinds  more  poorly 
so  than  the  cooked  fish.  He  found  that  the  nitrogen  was  the 
equivalent  of  that  in  meat. 

In  addition  to  the  albumin  and  considerable  quantities  of 
gelatin,  fish  also  contains  valuable  mineral  salts  in  not  incon- 
siderable quantities;  some  varieties  contain  much  phosphorus. 
Slowzoff  states  that  these  nutrient  salts  are  also  better  assimi- 
lated than  those  of  meat,  and  that  more  phosphorus  and 
magnesia  are  absorbed. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  a  fish  diet  is  a  very 
advantageous  form  of  nourishment,  and  that  from  it  we  get 
large  quantities  of  nutritive  substances.  We  shall  show  in  the 
following  list  by  Konig^  how  many  calories  are  obtained  from 
a  fish  diet,  and  how  much  of  the  various  nutrient  salts  is  found 
in  the  kinds  of  fish  which  are  chiefly  eaten : — 


Nitrogenous 
substance. 
Per  cent. 

Fat. 
Per  cent. 

Salts. 
Per  cent. 

Calories  con- 
tained in  1  kgr. 

Fatty  fishes. 
Salmon 

21.14 
15.44 
12.80 
16.67 
18.96 
16.30 

18.42 
16.93 
19.20 
18.50 
17.00 
16.00 
14.20 
17.60 

13.53 
7.67 

28.40 
8.73 
1.85 
7.90 

0.53 
0.26 
2.10 
0.70 
0.30 
1.40 
0.50 
2.10 

1.40 
1.70 
0.90 

i.'so 

1.20 
1.30 
1.20 
1.30 
1.30 

2136 
1370 
3190 

Herring 

Carp,  fed  

1045 

870 

Whitefish  

1980 

Lean  fishes. 
Pike 

909 
816 
980 
960 

Haddock         

Trout                 

Perch 

Cod 

720 

Plaice 

900 

Sole 

730 
1040 

Turbot^ 

We  shall  now  give  after  Konig,  ii,  S.  483,  the  nutrient 
salt  content  of  two  fishes,  from  which  an  approximate  idea  of 
the  salts  contained  in  others  may  be  formed : — 

1  After  Konig,  ii,  1468. 

2  The  last  three  fishes,  as  well  as  the  analysis  of  the  whitefish,  are 
quoted  from  Schall  and  Heisler. 


148 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


Nutrient  Salt  Content, 

The  ash  contains 

Potash. 
Per  cent. 

Soda. 
Per  cent. 

Phosphoric 

acid. 

Per  cent. 

Sulphuric 

acid. 
Per  cent. 

Chlorine. 
Per  cent. 

Codfish 

13.84 
23.92 

36.51 
20.45 

13.70 
38.15 

6.31 
2.80 

38.11 

Pike 

4.75 

As  this  table  shows,  fish  meat  is  characterized  by  a  high 
content  of  soda  and  a  low  amount  of  potash.  The  quantity  of 
common  salt  is  naturally  quite  considerable  in  sea  fish.  When 
the  fish  are  salted  down,  the  amount  of  salt  is  greatly  increased ; 
the  fish  are  placed  in  tubs  and  are  covered  with  brine.  The 
longer  they  remain  in  the  brine,  the  more  salt  they  absorb. 
This  influences  their  digestibility  in  a  very  unfavorable  way, 
as  has  been  already  stated ;  it  may  be  imagined  how  injuriously 
the  kidneys  will  be  affected  when  such  large  quantities  of  salt 
pass  through  them.  Such  fish  are,  therefore,  certainly  not 
healthful. 

The  best  method  of  preparing  the  fish  with  regard  to 
their  digestibility  is  by  boiling  or  frying.  Since,  however,  the 
flavoring  elements  are  so  readily  given  off,  and  there  is,  con- 
sequently, very  little  taste  left,  possibly  the  only  way  to  retain 
it  is  by  steaming. 

It  will  be  necessary,  as  previously  emphasized,  to  see  that 
the  fish  is  always  fresh.  There  is  no  article  of  food  in  which 
this  is  more  important,  particularly  in  the  summer.  The  de- 
composition processes  occurring  in  fish  may,  otherwise,  give 
rise  to  the  much-dreaded  ptomaine  poisoning. 

The  Indian  tribes  of  Oregon  had  the  habit  of  burying 
salmon  in  the  ground,  and,  the  more  it  was  decayed,  the  better 
they  liked  it.^  The  inhabitants  of  Greenland  and  the  other 
Eskimos  do  the  same  with  seals.  Dried  and  strongly  smelling 
fish  seem  also  to  be  a  favorite  food  with  the  Chinese  and 


1  Wilkens:   U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition,  iv,  p.  451,  after  Pavy. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     149 

Malays  in  Java  and  in  the  Archipelago.  In  Java,  trassi,  the 
meat  of  dried  shrimps,  is  eaten  after  having  been  kept  for  many 
months.  While  I  was  the  guest  of  a  family  in  the  Hague  who 
had  possessions  in  India,  I  had  the  opportunity  of  tasting  this. 
It  had  a  most  unpleasant  odor,  but  did  not  taste  badly.  It 
might  be  here  mentioned  that  trassi,  as  has  been  stated  by 
Jebbink,  is  very  rich  in  phosphorus,  probably  as  much  so  as 
any  article  of  food ;  its  total  content  of  phosphoric  acid  amounts 
to  2.27  per  cent.,  and,  of  this,  2.21  per  cent,  is  soluble  and 
digestible. 

While  fresh  fish,  in  general,  does  not  keep  very  well,  this 
is  particularly  the  case  with  fatty  fishes,  for  very  soon,  some- 
times after  one  day,  the  quality  of  the  fat  undergoes  a  change 
and  it  has  a  rancid  taste,  as  in  the  eel  and  the  salmon.  Yet, 
these  two  kinds  of  fish  are  the  best  flavored  among  them  all, 
and  have,  likewise,  the  greatest  nutritive  value.  They  have 
the  disadvantage,  however,  and  the  eel  most  particularly  so,  of 
being  very  difficult  to  digest  not  only  on  account  of  the  great 
quantity  of  fat  contained  in  the  eel,  but  also  because  of  its 
very  unappetizing  habits.  I  would  call  it  the  pig  among  fishes. 
It  likes  to  roll  in  the  mud,  and  in  water  containing  waste 
products  of  all  sorts ;  where  the  water  is  stagnant  and  cannot 
run  off,  as  in  the  Dutch  canals,  the  eel  tastes  the  best.  The 
variety  living  in  clean  water  has  not  nearly  so  good  a  taste  as 
the  river  eel,  and  particularly  that  living  in  the  ditches  and 
canals  in  Holland.  It  is  said  of  this  fish  that  it  eats  the  most 
unclean  things,  and  it  was  stated  that  the  eels  caught  near  the 
Dutch  Lazarettos,  in  the  Dutch  Indies,  fed  upon  the  bodies  of 
the  dead,  together  with  refuse  of  all  sorts,  and  that,  with  it 
all,  their  meat  had  a  wonderfully  good  taste !  Something  of 
the  same  nature  has  been  recorded  in  history  of  Vadius 
Pollonius,  who  fed  his  niuran^,  a  kind  of  eel,  with  the  flesh 
of  slaves  who  had  been  killed  just  for  this  purpose,  in  order 
that  they  should  have  a  better  taste.    That  the  meat  of  the  eel 


150  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

sometimes  causes  toxic  disturbances  may  no  doubt  be  referred 
to  its  unclean  mode  of  living,  and  we  may  find  in  this  instance 
an  exception  to  the  rule  that  everything  which  has  an  agreeable 
taste  is  good,  and  agrees  with  one.  The  meat  of  the  eel  can 
in  no  way  be  regarded  as  a  healthy  food.  The  salmon  might 
rather  be  recommended  for  a  nomially  healthy  person,  since 
it  is  not  quite  so  fat  as  the  eel,  and  always  lives  in  clean  water. 
Owing  to  its  fat  content  and  its  very  contpact  meat,  salmon  is 
not  easily  digested,  and  is  not  indicated  for  people  suffering 
from  stomach  and  intestinal  disorders.  According  to  some 
authors,  who  found  that  salmon  contained  considerable  quan- 
tities of  purin  bodies,  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  in  gout  and 
arteriosclerosis.  Lately,  however,  Bessau  and  Schmidt  found 
in  both  the  eel  and  the  salmon  much  smaller  quantities  of 
purin  bases;  in  loo  grams  of  each  fish  there  were  0.024  gram 
(salmon)  and  0.027  gram  (eel). 

The  salmon  usually  prefers  the  northern  waters ;  in  Europe 
it  is  found  in  large  numbers  in  the  Norwegian  and  Swedish 
waters,  and  when  in  very  cold  winters  the  seals  come  farther 
south  they  eat  up  all  the  salmon  of  the  Swedes  and  Norwe- 
gians; it  is  for  this  reason  that  in  these  regions  there  is  an 
actual  massacre  of  seals.  Whoever  likes  good  salmon  fishing 
should  go  to  Canada,  where  the  lakes  in  the  province  of  Quebec 
are  full  of  these  fish.  Wonderful  stories  were  told  me  of  the 
size  and  quality  of  the  salmon  while  I  was  in  Quebec,  four 
years  ago,  during  the  winter. 

Another  very  popular  fish,  the  herring,  also  prefers  the 
waters  of  the  North.  We  unfortunately  only  get  this  fish, 
which  is  so  excellent  when  fresh,  in  the  salted  or  pickled  form, 
and  then  it  is  not  quite  so  good,  nor  is  it  a  healthy  food  sub- 
stance. I  have  eaten  very  good  fresh  herring  in  England.  In 
the  Lake  of  Garda  there  is  also  a  variety  of  that  fish  which  is 
excellent.  The  amount  of  salt  contained  in  salted  herring  is 
often  very  considerable  after  it  has  been  in  the  brine  for  some 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Wirions  Eood  Substances.     151 

time.  Konig  states  that  herring  which  has  been  lying  in  brine 
for  three  clays  contains  9.5  per  cent,  of  salt;  after  nine  weeks 
it  contains  17.7  per  cent.,  an  amount  which  is  certainly  prej- 
udicial for  the  kidneys. 

The  value  of  fresh  herring  is  increased  when  it  contains 
the  roe  or  the  milt.  Of  the  fatty  fishes,  the  one  most  easily 
digested  is  the  whitefish,  which  the  English  (Pavy)  call  the 
"sea  chicken." 

The  best-tasting  and  probably  also  the  most  easily  digested 
among  the  fat  fish  varieties  is  the  carp.  In  Berlin,  particularly, 
great  cjuantities  of  this  fish  are  consumed.  Unfortunately, 
however,  the  carp  contains — it  is  unfortunate  that  so  often 
with  the  best  goods  there  must  be  a  "but" — a  large  amount  of 
extractive  substances.  According  to  the  latest  analyses  of 
Bessau  and  Schmidt,  the  carp  contains  more  purin  bases  than 
either  the  eel  or  salmon,  100  grams  containing  0.054  gram. 
The  herring  contains  more  extractive  substances :  0.064  gram. 
Small  fish  in  general,  such  as  anchovies  and  sprats,  contain  the 
greatest  number  of  purin  bases;  also  the  sardine,  which  has  the 
large  amount  of  o.i  18  gram  purin  bases  in  100  grams.  While 
the  carp,  how^ever,  gives  off  a  portion  of  its  extractive  sub- 
stances during  cooking,  this  is  naturally  not  the  case  with  the 
sardine.  Another  fish  which  is  considered  as  one  of  the  most 
healthy  as  food,  the  trout,  contains,  according  to  these  authors, 
a  like  amount  of  purin  bases.  There  is  probably  no  fish  which 
is  so  well  liked  in  our  Carlsbad  diet  as  the  trout,  and,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  meat  of  this  fish  is  quite  easily  digested. 
When  we  consider  that,  just  as  is  the  case  in  meat,  a  hard, 
tough  condition  prevents  the  elimination  of  the  extractive  sub- 
stances through  cooking — as  in  beef,  for  example — the  opposite 
condition  probably  exists  in  the  trout;  for  just  as  the  tender 
meat  of  the  calf  gives  off  its  extractives  in  cooking,  so  does 
also  the  soft,  tender  trout.  A  fresh,  well-cooked  trout  has  very 
little  of  the  flavoring  substances  left,  and  may  without  hesi- 


152  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

tancy  be  recommended  as  a  food  for  arteriosclerotics  and  gouty- 
patients,  as  well  as  in  diabetes. 

With  regard  to  the  digestibility,  the  sole,  which  also  has 
a  tender  fiber,  resembles  the  trout ;  also  the  plaice,  which  is 
eaten  in  large  quantities  in  England  and  in  Holland,  and  is  of 
a  fine  quality.  The  turbot  would  probably  come  next.  The 
haddock  is  rather  more  indigestible,  owing  to  its  tough  and 
hard  fibers.  This  fish  is  best  eaten  in  Norway.  It  has  an 
excellent  taste  and,  when  perfectly  fresh,  is  not  so  hard  to 
digest;  so  that  we  can  readily  understand  the  predilection  of 
the  Norwegians  for  this  fish,  and  the  current  saying,  ''Jeg  aer 
Norsk,  Jeg  spiser  Torsk."  On  the  other  hand,  the  same  fish, 
when  I  ate  it  in  Barcelona,  where  it  is  called  ''baccalau,"  did 
not  taste  nearly  so  good ;  neither  did  I  care  for  the  "cabillaud" 
in  Belgium  and  France.  The  salted  codfish,  because  of  the 
salt,  has  very  hard  fibers,  and  might  be  rendered  more  palatable 
if  the  salt  were  first  well  washed  out  in  plenty  of  water,  and 
the  fish  cooked  for  some  time.  It  will  then  not  only  taste 
better,  but  it  will  also  be  more  readily  digested.  The  cod  is,  in 
itself,  not  a  very  easily  digested  fish,  owing  to  its  tough  flesh. 
It  might  probably  represent  beef  among  the  fish  varieties,  par- 
ticularly since  it  contains  more  albumin  than  the  plaice  and 
sole.  Kanianizin  made  a  series  of  experiments  on  the  digesti- 
bility of  this  fish  in  the  prisons  of  St.  Petersburg,  and  found 
that  it  was  quite  as  well  digested  and  assimilated  as  beef.  While 
hearty  eaters  make  the  objection  that  they  have  nothing  in 
their  stomachs  after  having  eaten  fish,  I  can  afiirm,  by  my 
own  experience,  that  such  is  not  the  case  as  regards  codfish. 

2.  The  Advantages  of  a  Fish  Diet. 

With  the  present  high  cost  of  living,  when  the  poorer 
classes  cannot  afford  to  buy  meat,  I  cannot  see  why  a  fish  diet 
is  not  more  generally  indulged  in.    With  our  improved  trans- 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     153 

portation  facilities  we  are  able  to  send  sea  fish,  which  in  some 
regions  are  caught  in  such  enormous  quantities,  to  a  great 
distance,  and  yet  are  able  to  supply  the  consumer  so  that  they 
may  be  eaten  on  the  same  day.  In  this  way  a  food  substance 
is  furnished  which  is  not  only,  when  eaten  while  fresh,  much 
more  healthful,  but  is  also  much  cheaper,  than  meat,  even  those 
meats  imported  from  Australia  and  the  Argentine  Republic. 
Aside  from  this,  it  is  decidedly  preferable  to  eat  a  fish  which  is 
only  one  or  at  most  two  days  old,  than  meat  which  has  been 
preserved  on  ice  for  weeks.  There  is  probably  no  other  food 
substance,  with  possibly  the  exception  of  cheese, — in  which  we 
have  an  animal  albumin,  the  value  of  which  we  have  already 
stated, — which  can  be  purchased  at  such  a  moderate  price  as 
many  varieties  of  fish.  Fish  meat  also  has  many  advantages, 
some  of  which  have  already  been  mentioned.  First  of  all,  I 
wish  to  again  emphasize  the  digestibility  of  fish  as  compared 
with  that  of  meat,  and  it  is  quite  certain,  as  I  have  myself  been 
able  to  determine,  that  fish  does  not  remain  as  long  in  the 
stomach  as  meat,  and  that  one  consequently  has  a  better  appe- 
tite for  the  next  meal.  \Mien,  therefore,  one  has  a  weak 
stomach,  the  tender  meat  of  some  of  the  white  fishes  referred 
to  in  the  last  chapter  is  a  much  more  appropriate  food.  It  is 
also  a  great  advantage — to  which  we  desire  to  call  attention — 
that  one  is  able  to  take  in  combination  with  fish  certain  valuable 
foods  which  can  probably  never  be  taken  with  meat,  as,  for 
instance,  the  roe  and  milt.  Both  are  rich  in  phosphorus,  and 
the  roe  contains  some  iron.  These  are  perhaps  the  most 
valuable  components  of  fish,  since  they  contain  as  much  as  30 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  and  20  per  cent,  of  fat.  I  might  add, 
however,  that  in  some  kinds  of  fish,  like  the  salmon  and  pike, 
these  structures,  as  well  as  the  meat  itself,  have  certain  toxic 
properties  during  the  breeding  season,  and  should  therefore 
not  be  indulged  in  at  that  time.  The  eggs  of  the  sturgeon 
(caviar)  will  be  treated  of  in  a  special  chapter. 


154  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

As  an  albuminous  food  fish  has,  furthermore,  the  very- 
great  advantage  that  patients  suffering  from  kidney  and  hver 
disorders,  or  from  gout,  may  take  this  form  of  albumin,  which 
contains  much  less  of  the  injurious  substances  than  that  of 
meat,  since  in  fish  there  is  a  smaller  proportion  of  extractives, 
— with  the  exception  of  the  smaller  varieties, — while  those 
having  tender  fibers  give  off  more  of  these  extractives  during 
the  process  of  cooking. 

With  few  exceptions  less  uric  acid  is  formed  with  a  fish 
diet  than  with  one  of  meat;  and  since  it  is  often  very  difficult 
to  induce  a  gouty  patient,  who  has  been  a  meat-eater  for  years, 
to  give  it  up  entirely,  he  might  be  allowed  to  eat  fish  at  least 
once  a  day.  With  diabetic  patients,  as  I  have  stated  in  my 
book  on  diabetes,  I  have  observed  that  the  eating  of  fish,  such 
as  the  "schill"  and  the  perch-pike,  causes  much  less  sugar  elimi- 
nation than  is  the  case  with  meat,  and  by  using  such  a  diet 
with  the  addition  of  green  vegetables  and  some  carbohydrates 
(fruit,  rye  bread,  graham  bread,  etc.)  I  have  more  easily 
arrested  the  elimination  of  sugar  in  Carlsbad  patients.  In  the 
treatment  of  arteriosclerosis  I  have  likewise  obtained  great 
benefit  from  the  use  of  tender  white  fish.  The  fish  diet  is 
especially  useful  as  a  transition  food  between  the  meat  and  the 
milk  and  vegetable  diet.  W^e  first  leave  off  the  meat  and 
replace  it  by  fish,  which  is  after  some  time  also  abandoned,  and 
the  albuminoid  portion  of  the  food  is  made  up  of  cheese  or 
cereals.  The  use  of  fish  in  the  diet  of  brainworkers,  as  a  com- 
ponent article  of  food,  when  exhausting  literary  work  is  to  be 
done,  and  also  the  influence  of  fish  upon  the  sexual  activity 
and  upon  the  intellectual  activity,  will  be  dealt  with  later  on. 

All  of  the  above  advantages,  however,  depend  entirely  upon 
the  fresh  condition  of  the  fish.  Such  as  have  been  kept  for  a 
long  time  have  lost  all  taste,  as  I  was  able  to  convince  myself 
during  my  ocean  voyages  to  and  from  America.  I  was,  for  this 
reason,  only  able  to  eat  the  fish  during  the  first  few  days. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     155 

This  loss  of  taste  is  not  the  worst  feature.  The  iX)isoning  by 
fish  has  ah'eady  been  mentioned,  and  very  frequently  eczema 
and  other  skin  rashes  make  their  appearance  after  eating  stale 
fish.  Strange  to  say,  I  most  frequently  saw  such  cases  among 
my  French  patients — last  summer  in  a  colleague,  and  in  two 
other  gentlemen  from  Paris.  The  patients  assured  me  that 
every  time  they  ate  fish  their  old  eczema  was  sure  to  manifest 
itself  again.  One  of  these  patients  did  not  suffer  from  eczema 
after  eating  trout  at  Carlsbad,  because  these  fish  were  only 
killed  just  as  they  were  to  be  cooked.  These  toxic  symptoms 
may  have  been  due  to  the  fact  that  the  fish  suffered  before 
death — through  unsatisfactory  modes  of  transportation,  insuffi- 
cient quantities  of  water — and  this  perhaps  unclean — and  that 
this  gave  rise  to  the  formation  of  "fright  products,"  which 
acted  like  poisons,  already  referred  to  when  speaking  of  the 
killing  of  animals.  The  fish  must,  immediately  after  having 
been  caught,  be  placed  in  large  receptacles  containing  fresh 
and,  if  possible,  running  water,  a  sort  of  aquarium  as  it  were, 
where  they  remain  until  just  before  they  are  to  be  used,  when 
they  should  be  very  quickly  killed. 

Frequently,  when  injurious  effects  follow  the  eating  of 
fish,  these  may  be  due  not  so  much  to  the  fish  itself  as  to  the 
addition  of  bad  sauces  made  with  bad  butter,  or  with  spoiled 
cream.  This  state  of  affairs  usually  only  occurs  in  restaurants, 
and  here  the  preparation  is  more  to  be  feared  than  the  fish. 
Soup  made  of  fish  is  a  valuable  and  agreeable  food  substance. 
The  "halaszle"  (fish  soup)  made  in  Hungary  is  a  very  excel- 
lent fish  food,  particularly  that  made  on  the  shores  of  the 
Flatten  See  (Balaton)  of  the  fish  found  in  its  waters,  the 
world-renowned  fogas  (Fogorsh).  This  is  a  kind  of  fish 
goulash,  but  true  gourmands  prefer  the  "fogas"  when  broiled 
upon  the  spit.  We  consider  this  fish  a  most  excellent  one,  and 
a  very  healthful  food. 


156  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


{c)  Oysters  and  Shellfish;  their  Advantages  and 
Disadvantages. 

When  we  read,  as  has  been  related  by  Brillat  Savarin, 
that  while  he  was  acting  as  Envoy  of  the  Directory  during  the 
great  revolution  he  dined  with  a  Monsieur  Laporte,  who  ate 
oysters  during  a  whole  hour,  and  consumed  32  dozen  of  them 
(which  did  him  so  little  harm  that  he  managed  very  well  with 
the  rest  of  the  dinner),  we  must  conclude  that  oysters  must 
have  been  much  cheaper  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  that  at 
that  time  typhoid  epidemic  due  to  the  eating  of  oysters  did 
not  occur.  The  latter  was  reserved  as  a  blessing  of  our  times, 
with  our  fully  developed  canalization !  We  can,  to  be  sure, 
understand  the  appetite  of  Monsieur  Laporte  and  his  contem- 
poraries, who  could  not  content  themselves  with  less  than  a 
gross  (12  dozen)  of  oysters,  for  in  order  to  obtain  sufficient 
nourishment  from  these  bivalves  a  great  many  of  them  must 
be  eaten.  An  oyster  contains  about  5  to  6  per  cent,  of  albumin, 
I  per  cent,  of  fat,  35^  per  cent,  carbohydrates,  so  that  in  i  kilo 
of  oysters  520  calories  are  contained.  It  would  therefore  be 
necessary  to  eat  a  very  great  number  of  oysters,  and  if  these 
were  the  best  of  their  kind,  the  Zealand  oysters,  or  those  from 
Ostende  or  Whitestable,  one  would  have  to  be  a  multi- 
millionaire, like  those  owning  palaces  on  Fifth  Avenue  in  New 
York,  to  stand  the  cost.  Vitellus  was  quite  right  when,  about 
two  thousand  years  ago,  he  called  this  food  "cibis  nobilium." 

It  is  quite  easy  to  eat  a  great  many  oysters,  because  they 
are  very  easily  digested  and  because  they  also  stimulate  the 
appetite,  so  that  they  are  to  be  recommended  for  persons  suf- 
fering from  lack  of  appetite.  They  can  be  well  digested  by  all 
convalescents  and  weakened  persons.  It  is  because  they  tend 
to  stimulate  the  appetite  that  oysters  are  served  at  the  begin- 
ning- of  a  meal. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     157 

Oysters  are  perhaps  the  only  animal  food  which  we  eat 
raw,  and,  so  to  speak,  living,  for  they  are  only  healthful  when 
they  are  perfectly  fresh.  It  is  possibly  just  this  circumstance 
which  exerts  the  stimulating  and  excitant  action  of  the  oyster 
diet,  which,  as  we  shall  refer  to  later,  is  said  to  have  an  influ- 
ence upon  sexual  activity.  The  Romans,  those  dissolute  gour- 
mands, had  toward  the  end  of  their  Empire  very  productive 
oyster  beds  near  Bajse,  and,  as  Pliny  and  Horace  have  related, 
they  were  great  lovers  of  the  succulent  bivalve. 

Just  as  raw  meat  has  useful  properties  against  tuber- 
culosis, so  did  Boerhave  detect  a  similar  eflfect  in  oysters. 
Since  the  valuable  properties  of  the  oyster  are  entirely  lost 
after  they  have  been  cooked,  these  must  be  contained  in  the 
extractives,  in  the  juice  of  the  raw  oyster.  It  is  a  very  great 
pity  that  at  present  the  eating  of  raw  oysters  is  frequently 
productive  of  quite  serious  danger  to  the  health,  for  in  some 
regions  the  sewage  water  is  emptied  very  near  the  oyster 
banks,  which  frequently  contain  typhoid  bacteria ;  and  it  is  a 
fact  that  in  some  large  cities,  as  in  Paris,  for  instance,  rather 
serious  epidemics  of  typhoid  fever  usually  occur  about  three  or 
four  weeks  after  the  Christmas  season,  or  during  the  early 
months  of  the  winter,  owing  to  use  of  such  infected  oysters. 
During  the  past  few  years,  however,  conditions  have  improved, 
and  the  authorities  in  the  regions  where  there  are  oyster  beds 
and  colonies  have  enforced  strict  regulations  in  regard  to  the 
cleanliness  and  purity  of  the  water.  The  government  of  the 
Netherlands,  for  instance,  went  so  far  as  to  examine  and  to 
prepare  cultures  of  the  water  in  laboratories,  in  order  to  con- 
vince themselves  that  no  injurious  bacteria  were  contained 
therein,  so  that  the  oysters  could  be  eaten  with  safety.  We 
consider  oysters  a  very  healthful,  although  not  very  nourishing, 
food,  which  is  best  adapted  for  the  use  of  patients  and  con- 
valescents, as  well  as  for  gourmands.  Hutchison  states  that 
in  12  oysters  there  are  only  5  grams  of  digestible  albumin,  and. 


158  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

according  to  Stiitzer,  i  tgg  contains  as  much  nourishment  as 
14  oysters. 

Mussels  may  even  be  more  dangerous  when  eaten  raw; 
recently  a  severe  typhoid  epidemic  was  caused  by  them. 
Mussels  are  more  nourishing  than  oysters,  as  they  contain 
more  albumin;  in  fact  nearly  twice  as  much  as  the  oysters, 
about  9  per  cent.,  and  about  the  same  amount  of  fat  and  carbo- 
hydrates. The.  mussel,  however,  is  more  difficult  to  digest,  as 
the  meat  is  tougher.  It  is  certainly  safer  to  always  have  them 
cooked,  as  they,  as  well  as  the  oysters,  may  not  only  cause 
typhoid,  but  may  also  give  rise  to  severe  poisoning  cases,  and 
also  to  intestinal  catarrh,  when  they  grow  in  water  which  con- 
tains poisonous  matter. 

Symptoms  of  poisoning  are  also  frequently  caused  by 
eating  crabs.  Their  meat  has  a  very  agreeable  taste,  but  they, 
like  their  larger  brothers  of  the  ocean,  the  lobsters,  eat  decayed 
and  putrefied  substances  and  injurious  meats,  and  very  fre- 
quently urticaria  and  other  eruptions  occur  after  their  inges- 
tion. In  one  case  which  I  observed,  that  of  an  English  clergy- 
man, the  entire  right  arm  was  swollen  after  he  had  eaten  some 
lobster;  the  swelling  soon  disappeared,  however.  It  is  most 
important  that  these  crustaceans  should,  as  soon  as  they  are 
removed  from  their  own  element,  be  placed  in  boiling  water, 
and  they  should  likewise  be  eaten  soon  after  they  are  cooked — 
possibly  a  day  later.  It  is  certainly  a  barbarous  habit  to  do  as 
some  cooks  do,  who  put  them  into  cold  water  and  then  let 
them  boil  slowly,  instead  of  at  once  putting  them  into  water 
which  is  already  boiling.  It  may  possibly  have  been  this 
method  of  cooking  which  caused  the  poisonous  symptoms. 
The  meat  is  very  compact  and  is  difficult  to  digest.  Owing  to 
the  hardness  of  the  meat,  however,  it  is  necessary  that  it  be 
well  masticated,  and  it  is  then  rather  more  easily  digested, 
when  not  eaten  in  too  large  quantities.  The  lobster  being 
eaten  cold,  this  also  may  affect  the  digestion  unfavorably. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     159 

Sometimes  lobster  soup  has  caused  cramps.  It  would  certainly 
not  be  advisable  for  the  author  of  a  book  on  rational  dietetics 
to  recommend  the  eating  of  crabs  or  lobster. 

For  economical  reasons  I  must,  nevertheless,  say  that 
these  crustaceans  contain  much  nutriment.  Lobster,  according 
to  Payen,  contains  from  13  to  19  per  cent,  of  albumin  (thus 
approximating  beef)  and  about  i  per  cent,  of  fat.  Crab  con- 
tains, according  to  Konig,  10  per  cent,  of  albumin,  0.4  per 
cent,  fat,  i  per  cent,  carbohydrates,  and  100  grams  of  the 
meat  give  about  80  calories.  It  must  also  be  remembered  that 
they,  like  the  oyster  and  mussel,  are  very  rich  in  certain 
nutrient  salts,  phosphorus  in  particular^ ;  lime  is  also  present 
in  fair  amounts.  If  we  are  desirous  of  absorbing  these  salts 
in  such  foods,  it  would  be  better  to  eat  the  shrimps  and  small 
crabs ;  these  are  also  more  easily  digested  when  well  masticated. 
Quite  a  number  of  these  small  crustaceans  can  be  used  at  one 
time  without  untoward  effects,  and  in  some  resorts  at  the  sea- 
side, as  at  Ostende,  the  physicians  order  their  patients  to  eat 
shrimps  already  at  breakfast,  as  they  are  considered  a  healthful 
food.  The  influence  of  these  crustaceans  upon  the  sexual 
functions,  which  has  been  praised  since  ancient  times,  I  shall 
discuss  later  on.  According  to  Konig,  crabs  contain  15.8  per 
cent,  of  nutrient  substance,  1.32  per  cent,  of  fat,  and  2.42  per 
cent,  of  carbohydrate. 

We  do  not  wish  to  close  this  chapter  without  referring  to 
two  animals  having  shell-like  habitations,  i.e.,  the  tiny  snail 
and,  as  a  contrast,  the  large  tortoise.  The  snails  found  in  the 
vineyards  in  France  and  in  Spain,  where  they  are  called  "cara- 
coles," are  eaten  in  large  numbers.  Personally,  I  did  not  find 
them  very  good,  and  I  consider  them  hard  to  digest.  The 
gelatinous  meat  of  the  tortoise  is  preferable,  and  the  "real 


1  According  to  Gautier,  the  meat  of  the  lobster  contains  2.20  per 
cent,  of  organic  phosphorus. 


160  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

turtle  soup"  used  in  England  has  quite  a  stimulating  effect  on 
the  appetite.    This  is,  however,  its  chief  advantage. 

{d)   The  Advantageous  Properties  of  Eggs. 

After  milk,  there  is  probably  no  other  article  of  food 
which  is  so  valuable  for  mankind  as  the  tgg,  and  scarcely  any 
other  food  substance  possesses  so  many  useful  properties.  Of 
the  nutrient  substances,  eggs  contain  large  quantities  of 
albumin  and  fat.  The  amount  of  nourishment  contained  in  an 
tgg  corresponds  with  that  in  40  grams  of  fat  meat  or  about 
150  grams  of  milk. 

If  we  allow  60  grams  to  an  tgg,  the  shell  contains  7,2 
grams,  the  w^hite  of  the  Qgg  35.4  grams,  and  the  yolk  17.4 
grams.     The  percentage  would  be  divided  about  as  follows : — 

The  shell   12  per  cent. 

The  white  of  egg  58  per  cent. 

The  yolk    30  per  cent. 

Eggs  likewise  present  the  great  advantage  that  in  addi- 
tion to  their  albumin  and  fat  content,  and  consequent  nutritive 
value,  they  are  very  readily  digested,  and  are  better  assimilated 
in  the  body  than  the  great  majority  of  foods. 

Raw  eggs  are  the  most  difficult  to  digest,  since,  owing  to 
their  fluidity,  they  cause  very  little  secretion  of  saliva,  and  are 
apt  to  coagulate  in  the  stomach.  Soft-boiled  eggs  are  very 
much  more  digestible,  and  even  the  hard-boiled  eggs  are  not 
so  indigestible  as  is  claimed  by  many.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
hard-boiled  eggs  are  often  more  easily  digested  than  raw  ones, 
as  I  have  been  able  to  determine  both  in  my  own  experience  and 
in  that  of  my  patients.  It  is  important,  however,  that  the 
hard  eggs  be  well  masticated;  their  digestibility  depends  upon 
this. 

According  to  the  experiments  of  Jaworski  and  Gluzinski, 
hard-boiled  eggs,  when  finely  chopped  and  taken  with  water, 
remain  in  the  stomach  only  one  and  one-half  hours. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     161 

If  with  many  persons  there  is  a  difference  in  regard  to  the 
digestibihty  of  the  hard  and  soft  eggs,  there  is  no  difference 
as  far  as  the  assimilation  is  concerned. 

According  to  Rubner,  even  when  21  hard  eggs  had  been 
eaten, ^  they  were  as  well  assimilated  as  meat,  so  that  only  the 
following  small  quantities  were  lost : — 

Dry  substance   5.2  per  cent. 

Nitrogen    2.9  per  cent. 

Fat    5     per  cent. 

Ash  18.4  per  cent. 

Eggs  are  therefore  a  very  valuable  and  easily  assimilated 
food.  In  addition  to  this  they  have  the  following  advantage, 
which  is  shared  by  very  few  foods :  they  contain  no  injurious 
substances.  In  meat,  in  addition  to  the  albumin  content,  there 
are  the  extractives,  and  consequently  much  meat  may  prove 
injurious.  This  is  not  the  case  with  the  egg,  where  the 
albumin  contained  does  not  cause  the  formation  of  any  in- 
jurious product,  such  as  uric  acid ;  neither  does  it  increase  the 
sugar  in  diabetes,  as  other  albumins  do,  and  this  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  it  contains  carbohydrate  molecules.  This  proves  that 
the  secretion  of  sugar,  as  I  have  already  stated  in  my  previous 
works,  is  often  less  frequently  caused  by  carbohydrate-con- 
taining foods  than  by  those  free  from  the  carbohydrates,  and 
that  some  toxic  irritant  is  in  question.  If  various  foods  really 
do  have  a  toxic  action  owing  to  their  decomposition  products, 
this  scarcely  comes  into  consideration  in  the  case  of  the  egg. 
Eggs  may  be  considered  as  one  of  the  most  healthful  among  all 
foods,  but,  naturally,  only  when  they  are  fresh,  or  are  in  the 
wintertime  preserved  in  a  rational  manner. 

The  great  nutritive  value  of  the  egg  may  be  seen  in  the 
following  table  by  Konig : — 

1  Rubner:   Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologic,  1879,  15,  115. 
11 


162  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

A  fresh  egg  contains  : — 

N-free 
Water.  Nitrogen.  Fat.  extractives.  Ash. 

73.67  per  cent,     12.50  per  cent.     12.02  per  cent.     0.67  per  cent.     1.70  per  cent. 
In  the  dry  substance : — 

Nitrogrenous 

matter.  Fat.  Ash.  Nitrogen. 

47.46  per  cent.         45.67  per  cent.         4.06  per  cent.         7.64  per  cent. 

The  white  of  €:gg  contains  12.77  P^i"  cent,  of  nitrogenous 
substance,  and  the  yolk  16.05  P^^  cent. ;  the  white  contains  0.25 
per  cent,  of  fat,  while  the  yolk  contains  a  very  large  amount, 
31.70  per  cent.  In  an  ^gg  weighing  48  grams  there  are  about 
6.4  grams  of  nitrogenous  substance  and  5  grams  of  fat. 

Together  with  this  high  nutrient  value,  eggs  also  contain 
other  important  substances  which  play  a  great  role  in  the 
building  up  of  and  in  the  functions  of  the  central  nervous 
system,  such  as  lecithin,  of  which  the  yolk  of  the  ^gg,  according 
to  Gobley,  contains  y.2  per  cent.  There  is  also  about  i  per  cent, 
of  salts  in  the  yolk.  The  amount  of  phosphorus  is  quite  large ; 
in  100  grams  of  the  yolk  there  is  1.279  grams  of  phosphoric 
acid,  as  stated  by  Juckenak.  The  yolk  is  also  said  to  contain 
some  brain  substance,  i.e.,  protagon,  which  is  decomposed  into 
cerebrin  and  lecithin. 

In  view  of  the  above,  eggs  are  to  be  recommended  as  a 
food  for  persons  suffering  from  nervous  depression,  neuras- 
thenia, etc.  To  be  sure,  it  is  not  sufficient,  as  we  shall  show 
later  on,  to  simply  give  large  amounts  of  food  containing  phos- 
phorus and  lecithin,  in  order  to  cause  the  brain  and  mind  to 
functionate  better,  as  all  this  is  not  accomplished  merely  by  the 
absorption  of  such  substances.  They  must  be  made  use  of  and 
assimilated,  and  this  depends  upon  other  factors.  It  is  in  no 
sense  a  rational  proceeding  to  take  expensive  products  for  the 
purpose  of  introducing  lecithin  and  phosphorus  into  the  body, 
when  this  can  be  better  accomplished  with  fresh  eggs. 

To  the  great  content  of  the  tgg  in  nutrient  substances 
and  lecithin  must  be  added  the  quantity  of  other  substances 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     163 

which  make  the  egg,  like  milk,  one  of  the  most  complete  food- 
stuffs; these  substances  are  certain  mineral  salts,  especially 
oxide  of  iron  and  lime.  The  iron  contained  in  the  egg  is  0.39 
per  cent,  of  the  total  contents.  According  to  Bunge,  in  100 
grams  of  the  yolk  of  eggs  0.0 1  gram  of  iron  is  contained. 
According  to  the  calculations  of  Hutchison,  we  can  obtain  from 
7^  eggs  all  the  iron  required  daily  by  the  organism,  which 
quantity,  according  to  Stockmann,  is  10  milligrams. 

We  show,  in  the  following  table  according  to  Pollak  and 
Weber,  the  quantity  of  the  various  nutrient  salts  contained  in 

eggs  :— 

Nutrient  Salts  Contained  in  Eggs. 

Oxide  of 
Potash.  Soda.  Lime.  Magnesia.  iron. 

Per  cent.  Per  cent.  Per  cent.  Per  cent.         Per  cent. 

White  of  egg  26.6  —39.4  23.5  —32.9  1.74—  3  1.70—3.71  0.44—0.55 
Yolk  of  egg     8.93—10.90      5.12—  6.75    11.1  —13.2    1.07—2.11     1.19—1.45 

Phosphoric  Sulphuric 

Chlorine.                    acid.  acid.  Silicic  acid. 

Percent.                Percent.  Percent.  Percent. 

White  of  egg   23—28.8         3.16—4.81  1.32—2.63  0.28—2.04 

Yolk  of  egg  —             63.8  —66.7  —  0.55—1.40 

It  might  be  well  to  add  that,  according  to  the  experiments 
of  the  French  chemist  Bertrand,  in  the  Pasteur  Institute,  eggs 
also  contain  a  trace  of  arsenic;  ducks'  eggs  have  more  of  it 
than  those  of  chickens. 

When  several  eggs  are  eaten  daily,  it  will  be  seen  by  the 
table  given  above  that  a  quantity  of  important  nutrient  salts, 
such  as  phosphorus,  iron,  lime,  and  silicic  acid,  is  absorbed 
by  the  body,  and  this,  as  I  would  specially  emphasize,  in  an 
organic  form.  Why  should  expensive  drugs  containing  iron 
be  bought  when  we  can  get  the  same  results  with  several 
eggs? — not  to  mention  the  fact  that  most  valuable  nutritive 
substances  as  well  as  other  nutrient  salts  are  combined  with  it, 
which  are,  besides,  easily  digested  and  assimilated ;  this  cannot 
always  be  said  of  the  iron-containing  drugs. 

For  persons  suffering  from  anemia,  as  well  as  for  chlorotic 
young  girls,  it  is  advisable  to  eat  several  eggs  daily.     One 


164  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

advantage  of  this  is  the  fact  that  diseases  such  as  tuberculosis, 
etc.,  which  are  Hable  to  occur  after  these  conditions,  are  more 
easily  prevented.  The  great  amount  of  albumin  and  the  iron 
contained  in  the  eggs  make  them  one  of  the  most  valuable 
foods  in  all  cases  in  which  it  is  desired  to  encourage  the  forma- 
tion of  blood.  For  this,  eggs  are  to  be  given  the  preference, 
since,  even  when  taken  in  considerable  numbers,  they  do  not 
exert  any  untoward  effects  on  the  uric  acid  diathesis.  Gouty 
patients  can  also  take  eggs  without  injurious  results.  The  tgg 
diet  is  especially  useful  when  meat  is  excluded,  and  it  is  taken 
in  combination  with  milk,  carbohydrates,  and  vegetables,  as 
well  as  fruit,  eggs  forming  one  of  the  main  components  of  the 
diet.  With  4  eggs  each  day  about  280  to  300  calories  are 
obtained,  which  are  about  one-eighth  of  the  daily  nourishment 
required ;  and  since  in  a  diet  not  overrich  in  fat  and  carbohy- 
drates about  6  eggs  daily  would  be  required,  we  would  already 
have  about  one-sixth  of  the  total  food  necessary.  The  most 
important  fact  is,  however,  that  with  the  6  eggs  we  easily  have 
a  half  or  even  more  of  the  albumin  ration  necessary  for  the 
day,  since  they  represent  about  36  grams  of  albumin,  of  which 
but  very  little  is  lost.  It  will,  however,  only  be  possible  to  give 
so  many  eggs  per  day  in  the  usual  food,  if  an  extremely  limited 
quantity  of  meat  is  indulged  in.  Otherwise,  with  the  simul- 
taneous absorption  of  added  amounts  of  carbohydrates  and 
fats,  overnutrition  and  fatty  degeneration  would  very  soon 
occur.  When,  however,  it  is  desired  to  bring  about  such  a 
result,  viz.,  in  a  fattening  treatment,  as  a  preventive  against 
hereditary  disease  tendencies,  tuberculosis,  etc.,  eggs  would  be 
a  most  useful  food,  particularly  for  children  or  at  the  time  of 
puberty,  owing  to  the  absorption  of  so  much  albumin,  together 
with  the  lime,  phosphorus,  and  iron. 

In  the  case  of  diabetics,  for  whom,  for  the  reasons  I  have 
already  given  in  my  work,  "On  the  Ways  and  Means  of  Treat- 
ing Diabetes,"  it  would  be  most  rational  to  exclude  meat  from 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     165 

the  diet  for  a  certain  time,  the  taking  of  eggs  together  with 
milk  free  from  sugar,  and  with  green  vegetables,  may  give 
very  good  results,  especially  since  they  do  not  increase  the 
sugar  secretion,  except  in  very  aggravated  cases  of  diabetes. 

An  tgg  diet  is  indicated  wherever  the  albumin  of  the  body 
is  deficient  or  lacking,  as  after  exhausting  illnesses.  When 
cooked  they  form  an  excellent  food  in  kidney  troubles,  as  their 
albumin  does  not  at  once  come  into  contact  with  extractives 
which  might  irritate  the  kidneys.  It  is  quite  erroneous  to  look 
upon  their  use  with  fear  in  cases  of  this  sort,  for  even  in 
chronic  inflammatory  conditions  of  the  kidneys  no  injurious 
effects  will  follow.  Although  the  taking  of  a  great  many  raw 
eggs  does  cause  a  secretion  of  albumin  even  in  healthy  persons, 
we  should  not  refrain  from  their  use,  since  the  albumin  which 
is  eliminated  is  the  unchanged  albumin.  Several  boiled  eggs 
daily  may  be  taken  without  the  least  fear  in  kidney  troubles; 
indeed,  it  has  been  observed  that  patients  having  chronic  af- 
fections of  the  kidneys  can  often  take  a  number  of  eggs  with- 
out any  noticeable  increase  in  the  amount  of  albumin  excreted. 

In  addition  to  their  high  content  of  nutritive  organic  and 
mineral  substances,  eggs  have  the  very  decided  advantage  of 
being  useful  in  the  kitchen  for  a  great  variety  of  purposes  and 
in  the  preparation  of  many  excellent  dietetic  foods.  The  eggs 
may  themselves  gain  in  nutritive  value  if  combined,  e.g.,  with 
carbohydrates,  in  which  they  are  lacking.  When  eggs  are 
mixed  with  fine  wheatflour  we  have  a  more  complete  food, 
which  contains  all  three  of  the  important  classes  of  food  sub- 
stances. Of  this  nature  are  macaroni,  egg-noodles,  and  other 
similar  foods  which  contain  the  yolks  of  eggs.  It  may  be  found 
very  advantageous  to  combine  beaten  eggs  with  sugar  and 
good  wine,  thus  forming  the  easily  digested  "Chaudeaux"; 
from  white  of  egg,  combined  with  sugar  and  cornstarch,  corn- 
flour, "mondamin"  maizena,  etc.,  blanc  mange  can  be  made, 
which  is  also  very  digestible.     Eggs  generally  combine  very 


166  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

well  with  cornflour,  and  I  remember  that  in  my  childhood  days 
dear  departed  mother  gave  me  a  drink  made  of  cornflour,  the 
yolk  of  tgg,  milk,  and  honey  when  I  had  a  cold,  and  that  this 
acted  very  beneficially.  Indeed,  I  often  longed  to  catch  cold 
in  order  to  get  some  of  this  agreeable  beverage.  Eggs  mix 
well  with  milk,  and  in  this  way  the  nutritive  value  of  each  is 
considerably  increased.  Raw  eggs  may  be  given  in  milk.  As 
they  are  not  very  easily  digested, — not  only  because  they  do  not 
induce  a  sufficient  secretion  of  saliva  or  of  gastric  juice,  but 
also  because  of  the  keratin  membrane  contained  in  the  fluid 
portion  of  the  tgg, — it  is  perhaps  advisable  to  strain  this  fluid 
through  a  piece  of  thin  linen,  or,  better  still,  after  one  minute's 
boiling,  to  put  only  the  yolk  of  the  tgg  into  the  milk.  Cream 
and  eggs  also  mix  well.  The  nourishing  properties  of  certain 
foods  which  do  not  furnish  any  very  great  amount  of  nutritive 
substance  can  be  much  enhanced  by  the  addition  of  eggs.  I 
frequently  recommend  to  my  patients  the  addition  of  the  yolks 
of  2  eggs,  previously  boiled  for  one  minute,  to  a  vegetable 
puree,  as  of  spinach,  or  to  mix  them  with  carbohydrates  as  in 
oatmeal  porridge,  or  with  soup.  This  addition  also  greatly 
improves  the  taste;  that  of  milk  is  likewise  improved  by  the 
addition  of  yolk  of  tgg.  It  is,  of  course,  necessary  that  only 
eggs  of  the  very  best  quality  be  used.  The  question  of  good 
quality  and  taste  is  perhaps  more  important  in  eggs  than  in 
many  other  food  substances,  as  eggs,  at  the  best,  have  not  so 
very  much  taste.  They  must  be  fresh  for  drinking, — the  very 
choicest  eggs;  in  fact,  in  general  the  very  best  quality  should 
always  be  purchased,  notwithstanding  their  comparatively  high 
price.  As  with  all  foods  of  animal  origin,  much  depends  upon 
the  care  bestowed  upon  the  animals  furnishing  the  eggs. 
Chickens  thrive  best  when  kept  in  the  open  air,  just  as  do  cows, 
and  give  the  best  eggs  under  these  conditions.  Eggs  laid  when 
the  hens  are  fed  upon  corn  are  usually  better  than  when  the 
food  consists  of  worms  and  insects.     It  must  be  remembered 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     167 

in  feeding  chickens  that  they  are  expected  to  furnish  in  the 
eggs  a  food  which  should  contain  much  albumin  and  fat,  as 
well  as  lime,  since  the  shell  of  the  Q.gg  is  also  to  be  considered. 
These  substances  should  therefore  be  supplied  in  their  food,  as 
in  oyster-shells,  for  instance,  which  they  will  eat  greedily  if 
the  shells  have  first  been  pulverized.  Unfortunately,  fresh 
eggs  are  often  only  to  be  had  in  the  spring  and  summer;  late 
in  the  autumn  and  in  winter  they  are  difficult  to  obtain,  and 
then  the  stored  eggs  must  be  resorted  to.  The  process  of 
storag'e  should  also  be  hygienically  conducted.  Eggs  will  keep 
best  in  a  lo  per  cent,  solution  of  potassium  silicate,  or  in  a 
dilute  glycerin  solution.  Keeping  them  in  lime-water  is  less 
satisfactory.  Great  care  must  be  taken,  in  storing  eggs  away, 
that  the  hands  be  perfectly  clean.  One  should  never  suck  eggs 
having  a  dirty  shell,  nor  forget  that  it  is  possible  that  injurious 
germs  may  penetrate  through  the  shell  of  the  tgg,  and  may 
destroy  it.  The  typhoid  bacteria,  as  well  as  the  vibriones  of 
cholera,  may  enter  the  tgg  in  this  way,  as  has  been  experi- 
mentally proven.^  Thus,  even  in  such  an  excellent  food  sub- 
stance death  may  be  in  hiding. 

2.  Fish-roe  and  Caviar. 

It  is  really  remarkable  that  such  a  useful  food  as  that 
afforded  by  fish-eggs  is  not  more  used.  I  have,  myself,  ex- 
perimented with  the  roe  of  various  fishes,  even  some  kinds 
seldom  used.  I  ate  this  food  daily  for  some  time;  and  while 
some  of  the  varieties  really  have  but  little  taste,  when  fried  in 
butter,  they  constitute  quite  an  agreeable  and  at  the  same  time 
very  nourishing  food.  They  contain  much  albumin  and  fat. 
According  to  my  experience,  they  are  also  easily  digested. 

Fish-eggs  are  most  frequently  used  in  the  form  of  caviar, 
as  the  eggs  of  the  sturgeon  are  called.     These  fish  have  from 

1  After  Piorkowsky,  Zorkendorf er,  and  Wilmt. 


168  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

lo  to  20  kilos  of  roe,  which  is  cleaned  and  the  surrounding 
skin  and  fibers  removed,  and  then  preserved  in  salt.  The 
quality  of  the  caviar  depends  upon  the  quantity  of  salt  used; 
the  most  expensive  is  the  "malosol"  variety,  which,  as  the 
name  indicates  (malosol  means  in  Russian  "little  salt"),  con- 
tains but  little  of  it.  The  color  of  this  caviar  is  not  black  like 
that  of  the  cheaper  grades,  but  gray.  The  taste  is  very  mild. 
It  would  be  a  most  excellent  food  if  available  for  most  purses ; 
as  it  is,  a  tablespoonful  of  the  finest  Astrachan  caviar,  as  an 
introduction  to  the  meal,  can  only  be  partaken  of  by  the  rich. 
The  eggs  of  this  variety  are  much  larger  than  that  of  the  other 
sorts  from  fish  found  in  the  Elbe  River.  As  far  as  nourish- 
ment is  concerned,  the  poorer  qualities  of  caviar  are  quite 
good,  and,  like  fish-roes  in  general,  deserv^e  much  more  appre- 
ciation as  a  food  of  great  nutritive  value.  According  to 
^Konig,*  caviar  contains  30  per  cent,  of  nitrogenous  substance 
and  16  per  cent,  fat  in  its  natural  state ;  also  6  per  cent,  common 
salt.  As  has  already  been  said,  such  large  amounts  of  salt  are 
not  good,  especially  in  cases  where  the  kidneys  are  affected. 

The  above  proportion  of  salt  only  occurs  usually  in  the 
Astrachan  caviar;  the  other  varieties  contain  even  more. 
Niebel  says  that  the  caviar  made  from'  the  Elbe  fishes  contains 
from  9  to  1 1  per  cent,  of  common  salt. 

It  is  therefore  unfortunate  that  the  great  nutritive  value 
of  caviar  cannot  be  made  use  of,  for  when  we  eat  enough  to 
derive  nourishment  from  it  we  at  the  same  time  absorb  much 
of  the  injurious  common  salt.  We  are  thus  forced  to  content 
ourselves  with  fresh  fish-roes  as  a  nourishing  food.  Caviar,  on 
the  other  hand,  may  be  taken  in  small  quantities  to  stimulate 
the  appetite.  It  does  this  very  energetically,  and  induces  a 
good  flow  of  digestive  fluids.  I  find,  however,  that  only  the 
"malosol"  caviar  is  easily  digested. 

A  fact  which  makes  fish-eggs  even  more  valuable  for  us  is 

1  Konig :  ii,  572. 


Good  mid  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     169 

their  content  of  most  valuable  nutrients  for  the  brain  and 
nervous  system.  Gobler  states  that  the  eggs  of  the  carp  con- 
tain 3.04  per  cent,  of  lecithin  and  0.2  per  cent,  of  cerebrin.  In 
order  that  caviar  may  not  have  an  injurious  effect,  it  should 
only  be  taken  when  it  does  not  taste  sour  or  too  salty,  and 
when  it  has  no  odor. 

(e)  Milk  Diet. 
I.  Milk  and  its  Importance. 

That  which  principally  characterizes  milk  as  a  food,  and 
places  it  above  other  nutritive  substances,  is  the  fact  that  it 
contains  all  of  the  main  nutrient  groups,  thus  rendering  it  a 
complete  food.  This  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  young  animals, 
and  young  children,  too,  live  upon  it  and  are  developed  by 
means  of  it.  It  is,  to  be  sure,  necessary  for  the  proper  develop- 
ment of  the  young  animals,  and  of  nursing  children,  that  the 
milk  should  be  taken  in  the  condition  in  which  it  occurs  in  the 
mammary  glands  of  the  corresponding  species.  Development 
is  sometimes  furthered  by  milk  of  a  foreign  nature,  but  the 
latter  is  not  to  be  compared  with  mother's  milk.  Bamberg  has 
recently  experimented,  in  the  children's  clinic  at  the  Charite 
in  Berlin,  with  germ-free,  raw,  foreign  milk,  in  comparison 
with  cooked,  foreign,  germ-free  milk.  The  children  fed  upon 
the  raw  milk  thrived  well,  but  the  best  results  were  obtained 
when  they  were  nourished  in  the  natural  way.  A  series  of 
other  experiments  have  also  proven  that  animals  as  well  as 
man  thrive  and  develop  much  better  upon  the  maternal  milk. 

It  is  sometimes  impossible  to  give  the  milk  of  the  mother 
or  of  a  wet-nurse,  and  it  then  becomes  necessary  to  resort  to 
the  milk  of  animals.  That  most  used,  as  is  well  known,  is 
cows'  milk,  which,  while  it  contains  very  valuable  nutritive 
substances  and  mineral  salts,  nevertheless  differs  greatly  from 
human  milk.  That  which  most  nearly  approaches  it  is  the 
milk  of  the  ass,  and  the  next  is  mares'  milk. 


170  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Cows'  milk  contains  on  an  average  35  to  40  grams  of 
nitrogen  substances  per  liter,  together  with  40  to  45  grams  of 
milk-sugar  and  from  40  to  50  grams  of  fat.  This  will  show 
what  a  valuable  nutritive  food  milk  is,  for  when  only  i  liter 
of  milk  is  taken  in  a  day  about  600  to  650  calories  are  taken, 
thus  about  one-fourth  of  the  total  amount  of  nourishment  re- 
quired per  day.  When  4  to  5  liters  are  taken  in  one  day  all  the 
nourishment  required  will  be  furnished — for  a  certain  length 
of  time — as  may  be  seen  in  the  various  milk  cures  resorted  to 
for  diabetes,  gout,  fatty  degeneration,  or  heart  affections.  It 
is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  in  order  to  do  well  on  a 
milk  diet  it  is  necessary  to  take  a  rather  larger  quantity  of  milk 
than  that  corresponding  to  the  required  number  of  calories, 
because  milk  taken  alone  is  not  so  well  assimilated,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  flow  of  saliva  and  digestive  fluids  is  not 
greatly  stimulated  by  it.  But  little  saliva  is  mixed  with  the 
milk,  and  consequently  the  carbohydrate  content  is  poorly 
digested.  Madinaveitia  therefore  recommends  that  when 
taking  milk  it  should  be  kept  in  the  mouth  for  a  little  while 
before  swallowing  it,  and  rolled  about  as  much  as  possible,  so 
that  the  saliva  will  be  secreted,  which  will  make  the  milk  more 
digestible.  While  milk  taken  alone  is  poorly  digested  and 
assimilated,  this  can  be  remedied  by  taking  some  bread  or 
cheese  v/ith  it,  as  has  been  shown  by  Rubner. 

He  found  in  one  case  that  8.3  per  cent,  of  the  nitrogen, 

6.4  per  cent,  of  the  fat,  and  41.  i  per  cent,  of  the  nutrient  salts 

contained  in  the  milk  were  not  assimilated ;  in  another  case  7 

per  cent,  of  the  nitrogen,  7  per  cent,  of  the  fat  content,  and 

24.1   per  cent,  of  the  salts  were  eliminated  unused.     When 

cheese  was  then  taken  with  the  milk,  only  3.8  per  cent,  of  the 

nitrogen,  7.1  per  cent,  of  the  fat,  and  37.5  per  cent,  of  the  salts 

were  lost.    We  see  from  the  above  how  very  poorly  the  nutrient 

salts  in  milk  are  assimilated.^     The  digestibility  and  assimila- 

1  Rubner:  Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologic,  1879,  S.  115;  1880,  S.  119,  and 
1897.  S.  57. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     171 

tion  of  milk  depend  to  a  certain  degree  upon  whether  it  is 
taken  raw  or  cooked.  As  a  general  thing,  it  may  be  said  that 
raw  milk  is  better  digested  and  assimilated.  Jessen^  showed 
that  600  c.c.  of  raw  milk  remained  three  and  one-half  hours  in 
the  stomach ;  skimmed  milk,  the  same  length  of  time.  Sour  milk 
was  better  digested,  for  it  only  remained  three  hours  in  the 
stomach.  That  most  poorly  digested  was  cooked  milk,  which 
remained  the  longest  time  (four  hours)  in  the  stomach.  This 
goes  to  show  that  sour  milk  and  buttermilk  are  best  digested. 

According  to  Listow,  sterilized  milk  is  more  poorly  as- 
similated than  raw  milk.  He  also  found  that  milk  is  better 
digested  when  bread  is  taken  with  it. 

The  assimilation  of  milk  is  better  accomplished  in  chil- 
dren than  in  adults.  This  is  shown  by  the  experiments  of 
Rubner  and  Heuber.^ 

According  to  Praunitz,  milk  is  more  poorly  assimilated  in 
the  intestine  in  adults  than  other  animal  foods.  At  all  events, 
we  can  certainly  say  that  meat  is  much  better  assimilated  in  the 
intestine  than  milk.  The  following  table  shows  the  assimila- 
bility  of  the  various  kinds  of  milk  and  milk  products,  together 
with  their  composition,  according  to  J.  Konig^  : — 


Kinds  of  MUk. 


Composition. 


Proportion   assimilated. 


on 
^1 

1 

3.19 

3.49 

3.53 

3.87 

4.89 

5.87 

1.79 

1.30 

0.55 

81.19 

24.90 

26.58 

31.81 

11.11 

as 


Cows'  milk . . 
Goats'  milk  . 
Sheep's  milk 
Asses'  milk. . 

Butter 

Fatty  cheese. 
•Lean  cheese  , 


3.39 
3.76 
5.15 
1.85 
0.86 
26.21 
35.59 


3.68 

4.07 

6.18 

1.37 

83.70 

29.50 

12.35 


4.94 
4.64 
4.17 
6.19 
0.80 
3.39 
4.22 


4.84 
4.55 
4.05 
6.01 
0.49 
3.32 
4.14 


ijessen:    Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologic,  Bd.  19,   S.  129,   1883,  cited  after 
Hutchison. 

2  Rubner  and  Heuber:  Zeitschrift  fiir  Biologic,  1898,  xxxvi,  i. 

3  J.  Konig:    "Chemie  der  Nahrungsmittel,"  ii,  S.  1408. 


172  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

The  following  is  the  nutritive  value  of  the  various  kinds 
of  milk  and  milk  products : — 

In  I  liter  or  kilo  there  are  contained : — 

Cows'  milk  672  calories. 

Goats'   milk    712  calories. 

Sheep's  milk  943  calories. 

Asses'  milk  187  calories. 

Butter 2473  calories. 

Fat  cheese    3808  calories. 

Lean  cheese   1875  calories. 

We  see  from  the  above  that  of  the  various  kinds  of  milk 
sheep's  milk  is  the  most  nourishing-,  and  that  cheese  of  all 
kinds  has  great  nutritive  value.  When  one  drinks  milk  and 
takes  bread  and  cheese  at  the  same  time,  he  will  be  well 
nourished,  for  in  this  combination  we  have  an  easily  digested 
milk  diet  which  will  be  sufficiently  sustaining,  as  is  shown  in 
the  case  of  shepherds,  who  often  live  for  some  time  upon  such 
food.  This  diet  is  rich  in  the  most  important  nutritive  ele- 
ments ;  in  addition  to  large  amounts  of  nitrogen,  fat,  and  car- 
bohydrates, it  contains  other  indispensable  substances.  Milk 
contains  much  lecithin ;  woman's  milk  contains  more  of  it  than 
cows'  milk.  Burrow  found  in  cows'  milk  0.049  to  0.058  per 
cent. ;  in  woman's  milk,  0.057  to  0.060  per  cent.  Nerking 
and  Haensel  found  in  woman's  milk  lecithin  to  the  amount  of 
0,0799  P^i"  cent.,  and  in  cows'  milk  between  0.04  and  o.ii  per 
cent. ;  goats'  milk  contained  the  same  amount  as  woman's  milk. 

Thus,  it  is  plain  that  we  absorb  a  considerable  amount  of 
lecithin  when  we  take  a  quart  of  milk.  Lecithin  is  said  to  favor 
the  growth  of  young  animals,  and  the  digestion  of  fats  is  also 
improved  by  it. 

In  addition  to  its  great  nutritive  value  and  lecithin  con- 
tent, milk  possesses  other  advantageous  properties,  containing 
as  it  does  such  valuable  salts  as  phosphorus  and  lime  in  con- 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     173 


siderable  quantities.     According  to  J.   Konig,    Schrodt,   and 
Fleishmann,^  its  composition  is  as  follows : — 

Nutritive  salt  content  of  milk  according  to 

Konig                      Schrodt  Fleischmann 

Potassium    oxide    24.65  per  cent.  25.42  per  cent.  23.54  per  cent. 

Sodium    oxide    8.18  per  cent.  10.94  per  cent.  11.44  per  cent. 

Calcium    oxide    22.42  per  cent.  21.45  per  cent.  22.57  per  cent. 

Magnesium  oxide 2.59  per  cent.  2.54  per  cent.  2.84  per  cent. 

Iron    sesquioxide    0.29  per  cent.  0.11  per  cent.  0.31  per  cent. 

Sulphuric  anhydride    .     2.52  per  cent.  4.11  per  cent. 

Phosphoric  anhydride.  26.28  per  cent.  24.11  per  cent.  27.68  per  cent. 

Chlorine 13.95  per  cent.  14.60  per  cent.  15.00  per  cent. 

100.88  per  cent.        103.28  per  cent.        103.38  per  cent. 
Minus  acid  for  chlorine  3.28  per  cent.  3.38  per  cent. 

100.00  per  cent.         100.00  per  cent. 

We  may  thus  observe  how  much  phosphorus  and  lime  is 
contained  in  milk.  It  is  most  unfortunate  that,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  the  assimilation  of  both  the  organic  nutritive  sub- 
stance and  the  salts  is  incomplete.  The  lime,  in  particular,  is 
very  imperfectly  assimilated ;  according  to  Forster,  as  much  as 
75  per  cent,  is  lost  in  the  child.  In  spite  of  all  this,  milk  is  a 
food  from  which  our  bodies  absorb  considerable  lime.  In  iron, 
on  the  contrary,  milk  is  poor;  unskimmed  milk  contains  0.31 
per  cent.,  and  cream  2.84  per  cent. ;  cream  is  likewise  richer  in 
phosphoric  acid. 

Very  important  substances  also  contained  in  milk,  and 
which  tend  to  make  of  it,  as  it  were,  a  life-giving  food,  are 
certain  ferments,  which  likewise  help  to  render  it  more  diges- 
tible. In  boiled  milk,  these  ferments  are  absent,  thus  making 
it  a  dead  food  in  comparison  with  raw  milk.  Boiling  and 
sterilization  are  unfortunately  unavoidable  when  we  are  not 
certain  of  having  pure,  clean  milk.  As  long  as  it  remains  in 
the  udder  of  a  healthy  cow,  the  milk  is  certainly  free  from 

1  After  Boettger,  "Lehrbuch  der  Nahrungsmittelchemie,"  Leipzig, 
1910,  S.  202. 


174  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

germs.  Near  the  external  orifices  of  the  udder  bacteria  are 
found  which  have  penetrated  from  the  outside ;  therefore,  that 
portion  of  the  milk  which  is  obtained  first  contains  C[uite  a 
number  of  these  bacteria.  The  milking  is,  besides,  often 
carried  on  in  an  uncleanly  manner;  more  especially  when  the 
udder  has  not  first  been  washed,  the  milk  will  contain  a  great 
many  bacteria.  These  are  not  all  of  a  harmless  order;  even 
the  dangerous  staphylococci  and  streptococci  may  be  found 
among  them.  Some  bacteria  derived  from  the  cow  itself,  as 
those  of  the  mouth  and  hoof  plague,  can  be  transmitted  to  man. 
The  transmission  of  tuberculosis  from  the  cow  to  man  is  most 
improbable,  as  the  milk  of  such  cows  is  used  with  impunity. 
This  has  lately  been  shown  by  the  numerous  experiments  made 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Imperial  Board  of  Health.  In  a  large 
number  of  cases  in  which  the  milk  of  tuberculous  cows  had 
been  taken  for  some  time  there  were  no  injurious  results ;  harm 
resulted  only  in  a  very  few  instances,  always  in  individuals 
predisposed  to  tuberculosis. 

The  danger  of  contracting  the  disease  through  the  agency 
of  milk  is  not  very  great.  The  germs  of  other  diseases,  par- 
ticularly those  of  typhoid  fever  and  diphtheria,  may  be  much 
more  dangerous — they  are  often  transmitted  and  cause  actual 
epidemics,  as  I  personally  observed  several  winters  ago  during 
a  stay  in  Copenhagen.  The  German  Imperial  Health  Bureau 
proved  infection  by  milk  to  have  occurred  in  51  out  of  126 
cases  of  typhoid  fever  during  an  epidemic.  It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  the  typhoid  germs  thrive  well  in  milk  and  increase 
rapidly  in  its  lukewarm  temperature.  Heim  found  them  living 
after  thirty-five  days,  and  the  tubercle  bacilli  after  fifteen  days, 
even  in  sour  milk. 

In  addition  to  typhoid-fever  epidemics,  diphtheria  epi- 
demics may  also  be  caused,  as  has  been  stated  by  Power  and 
Danger.  According  to  Schlechtendal,  at  least  2^  typhoid 
epidemics  were  caused  from  1891  to  1901  owing  to  negligently 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     175 

conducted  dairies.  The  bacteria  primarily  find  their  way  into 
the  milk  from  dirt  and  unclean  surroundings  in  general,  or, 
again,  through  intentional  watering  of  the  milk.  The  surest 
way  of  preventing  infection  by  milk  is  to  have  it  sterilized. 
Even  then  a  few  germs  remain,  sometimes  even  of  a  dangerous 
character. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that,  as  was  shown  by  Heim,  the 
cholera  bacilli  soon  die  in  raw  milk,  while  in  sterilized  milk 
they  remain  active  for  ten  days ;  the  same  results  were  reported 
by  the  Imperial  Health  Bureau;  the  diphtheria  bacilli  do  not 
thrive  as  well  in  sterilized  milk  as  in  raw.  Sterilization  and 
the  boiling  of  milk  may,  in  general,  be  regarded  as  good  pre- 
cautionary measures  against  a  possible  bacterial  infection,  but 
they  have  the  disadvantage  that  not  only  the  ferments,  but  also 
certain  other  important  substances  contained  in  the  raw  milk, 
may  be  impaired.  Indeed,  milk  contains  the  same  immunizing 
agents  as  are  present  in  the  blood,  namely,  alexin  and  opsonin, 
which,  together  with  the  internal  secretions  of  various  glands, 
enter  into  the  milk  from  the  blood.  It  would  lead  me  too  far 
to  go  into  the  details  of  this  subject  here,  but  I  would  call  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  the  presence  of  the  internal  secretions 
in  milk  is  shown  in  that  in  children  having  an  inherited  weak- 
ness of  the  thyroid  gland  no  symptoms  of  this  condition 
develop  as  long  as  they  are  taking  the  maternal  milk.  When 
the  nursing  has  ceased,  these  symptoms,  as  a  rule,  very  soon 
make  their  appearance.  The  various  substances  mentioned 
pass  out  from  the  mother  into  the  milk.  Fortunately,  this  is 
not  the  case  with  alcohol. 

2.  Various  Kinds  of  Milk:  that  of  the  Sheep,  Ass, 
Goat,  and  Mare. 

That  sheep's  milk,  among  all  the  various  varieties,  is  the 
one  containing  the  most  nourishment  has  already  been  stated 


176  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

in  the  previous  chapter.  It  is  strange,  therefore,  that  we  very 
rarely  use  this  milk,  especially  since  it  does  not  have  the  un- 
pleasant odor  peculiar  to  goats'  milk,  and  also  since  about  5  to 
6  liters  of  milk  are  given  daily  by  the  milch  sheep.  It  is  only 
in  very  few  regions  in  Europe  that  the  sale  of  this  milk  is 
regularly  conducted,  as  in  the  Dutch  province  of  Friesland. 
The  finest  milch  sheep  are  to  be  found  here,  and  the  sturdy 
Frieslanders  cannot  understand  why  sheep's  milk  is  not  used  in 
the  other  portions  of  the  kingdom  so  celebrated  for  its  dairies. 
The  author  also  considers  this  neglect  as  unjustifiable.  Outside 
of  Friesland,  the  greatest  number  of  milch  sheep  are  to  be 
found  in  Iceland,  and  in  the  Pyrenees,  the  Appenines,  and  in 
Corsica.  In  the  latter  country  the  sale  of  sheep's  milk  exceeds 
that  of  cows'  milk. 

The  chief  characteristic  of  sheep's  milk  is  the  amount  of 
fat  contained  in  it.  This  can  be  increased  by  feeding  with 
substances  containing  oil. 

The  average  composition  of  sheep's  milk  is,  according  to 
Konig,  as  follows : — 

Specific  Water.  Casein.       Albumin.  Fat.         Milk-sugar.       Ash. 

weight.  Percent.       Percent.      Percent.      Percent.       Percent.     Percent. 

1035  85.99  9.17  0.98  6.18  9.17  0.9 

When  evaporated  it  contains : — 

Protein.  Fat.  Milk-sugar.  Nitrogen. 

31.33  per  cent.        37.60  per  cent.        38.84  per  cent.        4.59  per  cent. 

The  fat  content  is  here  very  striking ;  none  of  the  varieties 
of  milk  which  are  generally  used  contains  as  much.  Hence,  the 
fact  that  sheep's  milk  is  principally  used  in  making  cheese. 

Sheep's  milk  also  contains  quite  a  considerable  amount  of 
iron.  The  ash  contains  i.oi  per  cent,  of  oxide  of  iron,  and 
also  30.17  per  cent,  of  phosphorus,  7.63  per  cent,  of  chlorine, 
and  31.12  per  cent,  of  lime. 

Asses'  milk  is  characterized  by  a  decidedly  sweet  taste, 
and  also  by  the  fact  that  it  is  more  easily  digested  than  any 


Water. 

Casein. 

Albumin. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Asses'  milk    90.05 

0.79 

1.06 

Average   of 

woman's  milk   ..87.78 

0.80 

1.21 

Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  J\irious  Pood  Substances.     177 

other  kind  of  milk.  Its  use  is  therefore  indicated  in  the  case 
of  very  weak  persons,  and  feeble  children  can  be  best  brought 
up  with  it  when  the  maternal  milk  fails.  The  fact  that  it  so 
closely  resembles  mother's  milk  makes  it  very  useful  for  suck- 
ling children. 

The  composition  of  asses'  milk  and  of  maternal  milk  is  as 
follows : — 

In  the  natural  milk  are  contained : — 

Fat.       Milk-suerar.       Ash. 
Per  cent.     Per  cent.     Per  cent. 

1.17  6.19  0.47 

3.74  6.37  6.30 

It  is  quite  a  remarkable  fact  that  among  all  animals  the 
ass  is  the  one  whose  milk  most  closely  resembles  human  milk. 
Already  in  ancient  times  quite  a  number  of  healing  properties 
were  ascribed  to  asses'  milk,  and  Nero's  consort,  Poppse,  when 
on  a  journey,  always  took  along  500  asses,  in  order  to  be  able 
to  bathe  in  their  milk. 

Asses'  milk  is,  in  fact,  worthy  of  much  greater  attention 
than  it  receives,  and  should  be  more  frequently  employed.  Its 
rather  sweet  taste  is  not  agreeable  to  every  one,  and  its  high 
price  is  against  its  general  use.  This  could  be  remedied,  how- 
ever, by  raising  the  animals  in  great  numbers.  Another  dis- 
advantage is  the  fact  that  this  milk  does  not  keep  well  and  must 
be  taken  soon  after  it  is  milked.  It  is  owing  to  this  peculiarity 
that,  in  regions  where  the  animals  are  raised  for  their  milk 
supply,  they  are  taken  to  the  door  of  the  consumer  and  are 
there  milked.  In  Barcelona  one  sees  the  asses  going  about 
with  covers  bearing  on  the  one  side  the  inscription  "Approved 
by  the"  and  on  the  other  side  "College  of  Physicians." 

Asses'  milk  contains  fewer  bacteria  than  other  kinds  of 
milk.  It  is  also  a  noteworthy  fact  that  asses  are  not  subject  to 
tuberculosis.  Because  of  its  great  similarity  with  woman's 
milk  and  its  digestibility  it  is  much  used,  especially  in  France, 


178  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

for  the  bringing  up  of  delicate  children.  I  am  acquainted  with 
several  young  people  in  that  country  who  were  fed  with  asses' 
milk,  and  who  grew  up  in  good  health.  In  comparison  with 
the  widespread  use  of  this  milk  in  France,  Catalonia,  and 
southern  Italy,  its  very  limited  use  with  us  is  striking.  Its 
very  high  price  is  probably  the  chief  reason,  and  this  is  possibly 
greatly  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  ass  is  very  capricious  and 
obstinate  and  often  objects  to  being  milked.  This  animal, 
which  is  so  greatly  censured  on  account  of  its  lack  of  intelli- 
gence, is,  after  all,  not  so  stupid  as  it  is  said  to  be.  The  ass- 
mother  is  in  fact  not  such  a  "donkey"  as  to  be  willing  to  give 
her  milk,  which  is  none  too  abundant,  for  the  benefit  of  strange 
children,  when  she  needs  it  so  badly  for  her  own  young. 

Goats'  milk  resembles  that  of  the  cow  in  some  respects, 
but  it  contains  more  albumin  and  particularly  more  fat  than 
the  latter.  As  in  the  case  of  sheep's  milk  the  fat  content  can 
be  increased  when  substances  containing  fat  and  oil  are  in- 
cluded in  the  food.  This  variety  of  milk  also  deserves  more 
attention  than  it  receives,  especially  since  the  upkeep  of  a  goat 
entails  but  little  expense,  as  the  animal  is  much  less  particular 
in  regard  to  the  quality  of  its  food  than  is  the  cow,  for  instance. 
The  smell  of  the  milk,  however,  is  detestable ;  but  this  objection 
might  be  overcome  by  keeping  the  bucks  (whose  sexual  tend- 
encies are  much  more  pronounced  than  in  most  domestic 
animals)  out  of  the  stables.  The  greatest  care  must  be  exer- 
cised in  regard  to  absolute  cleanliness,  and  in  this  way  the  milk 
may  be  kept  free  from  any  objectionable  odor. 

According  to  my  personal  experience,  while  staying  on  the 
island  of  Capri,  where  this  milk  is  much  used,  I  found  it  much 
more  digestible  than  cows'  milk.  The  composition  of  goats' 
milk  is  on  an  average  as  follows,  according  to  Konig  (vol.  ii, 
P-  653)  :— 

Specific  Water.  Casein.       Albumin.  Fat.        Milk-sugar.        Ash. 

grravity.        Percent.       Percent.      Percent.      Percent.     Percent.      Percent. 

1030  86.88  2.87  0.89  9.07  9.69  0.85 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     179 

3.  Sour-milk  Products:  Sour  Milk,  Keiir, 
Koumiss,  Jogurt,  etc. 

When  milk  remains  for  a  time  in  open  vessels,  various 
forms  of  fungi  fall  into  it  from  the  air ;  among  them,  also,  the 
Bacterium  acidi  lactici.  In  summer  especially  fermentation  oc- 
curs at  a  temperature  of  from  20°  to  30°  C.  The  milk-sugar 
may,  in  a  greater  or  less  quantity,  be  transformed  into  lactic 
acid.  Owing  to  this  acidity,  the  milk  coagulates  and,  by  the 
agency  of  the  lactic  acid,  the  casein  is  rendered  more  digestible, 
especially  when,  as  in  kefir,  this  action  is  continued  for  two>  or 
three  days.  The  longer  this  fermentation  process  lasts,  the 
more  the  milk-sugar  is  fermented.  In  this  way  the  sugar 
content  of  such  milk,  especially  of  a  several  days'  old  kefir,  is 
considerably  diminished,  so  that  it  is  less  injurious  for  diabetic 
patients  than  ordinary  milk,  with  its  rather  high  content  of 
sugar. 

When  such  a  fermentation  process  occurs  in  milk  through 
the  action  of  special  bacilli,  instead  of  those  of  various  kinds 
which  enter  it  promiscuously  from  the  air,  a  series  of  very 
valuable  sour-milk  products  can  be  obtained.  Kefir,  for  in- 
stance, is  formed  by  two  kinds  of  bacilli,  one  a  yeast  bacillus, 
the  Saccharomyces  mycodcrmia,  and  the  other  the  Bacillus 
Caucasicus,  which  forms  yellowish-white  clumps.  These  tiny 
clumps  may  be  bought  in  the  drug-stores.  Kefir  of  one  day's 
standing  contains  only  a  very  small  amount  of  alcohol,  which 
is  formed  by  the  decomposition  of  milk-sugar  by  means  of  kefir 
yeast;  on  the  second  day  there  is  more,  and  three  days'  old 
kefir  contains  still  more.  The  milk  is  rendered  much  more 
digestible  by  this  process.  A  portion  of  the  casein  is  trans- 
formed into  a  soluble  product,  and  the  rest  forms  very  tiny 
coagulated  flakes.  The  older  the  kefir,  the  more  hemialbumoses 
and  peptones  it  contains.  Kefir  stimulates  the  digestion,  and  I 
have  frequently  obtained  very  good  results  by  its  use  in  cases 


180  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

where  ordinary  milk  was  not  tolerated.  The  best  results  were 
observed  in  nervous  dyspeptics  and  neurasthenics  in  general, 
who  also  gained  considerably  in  weight.  According  to  the  ex- 
periments of  Gilbert  and  Chassevant,  the  kefir  made  from 
skimmed  milk  is  more  easily  digested.  They  found  that  a  liter 
of  such  kefir  of  two  days'  standing  was  digested  one  hour 
earlier  than  a  two-day  kefir  made  from  whole  milk. 

The  finished  kefir  contains,  according  to  Konig,  ii,  p.  747, 
as  follows : — 

Water.  Total  proteids.  Albumin.        Acid  albuminate.    Hemialbumose. 

88.86  per  cent.    2.80  per  cent.     0.78  per  cent.     0.20  per  cent.     0.18  per  cent. 

Peptone.  Fat.  Milk-sugar.  Lactic  acid.  Alcohol. 

0.03  per  cent.    2.76  per  cent.     2.52  per  cent.     0.98  per  cent.    0.98  per  cent. 

The  koumiss  prepared  from  mares'  milk  is  very  similar  to 
kefir  in  its  action,  and  is  a  beverage  much  liked  by  the  Tartars 
and  on  the  Steppes  of  the  Kirgises.  Already,  in  the  time  of 
the  old  Scythians,  the  antecedents  of  the  Magyars,  koumiss  was 
a  favorite  drink,  as  stated  by  Herodotus.  While  in  London  I 
frequently  drank  koumiss  made  with  cows'  milk  and  the 
koumiss  ferment  in  the  Aylesbury  Dairy,  and  found  it  very 
digestible,  although  I  did  not  like  the  somewhat  sweet-sour 
taste.  Koumiss  is  quite  expensive,  and  its  curative  properties 
are  probably  not  any  greater  than  those  of  kefir;  in  fact,  its 
greater  alcohol  content  might  be  considered  a  disadvantage, 
for,  while  kefir  contains  only  0.89  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  the 
quantity  contained  in  koumiss  is  i  per  cent,  more, — 1.72  per 
cent.  It  contains  2.27  per  cent,  of  albumin,  2.12  per  cent,  of 
fat,  and  1.98  per  cent,  of  milk-sugar.  Its  nutritive  value  is 
almost  100  calories  less  per  liter  than  that  of  kefir. 

The  above-mentioned  sour-milk  products  all  have  the 
property  of  combating  the  decomposition  process  in  the  intes- 
tine. When  too  much  albumin  is  taken  in  the  food,  a  portion 
of  it  may  not  be  absorbed  in  the  upper  intestine.  In  the  colon, 
then,  where  the  intestinal  flora  is  exceedingly  abundant,  its 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     181 

action  causes  decomposition,  and  products  may  be  formed  the 
absorption  of  which  would  result  in  injurious  effects  in  the 
organism.  It  is  in  this  process  that  sour  milk  and  the  other 
above-named  products  have  such  a  favorable  action.  Accord- 
ing to  the  experiments  of  Metchnikoff,  the  Bulgarian  sour 
milk,  jogurt  (pronounced  "jort,"  in  the  Bulgarian  language), 
possesses  this  action  to  a  much  greater  degree.  Metchnikoff 
is  inclined  to  attribute  the  longevity  of  the  Bulgarians,  among 
whom  many  centenarians  may  be  found,  to  the  daily  use  of 
jogurt.  This  product  forms  one  of  the  most  infallible  agents 
in  causing  a  disinfection  of  the  intestine,  which  action  is  pro- 
duced by  the  lactic  acid,  as  has  been  proven  by  the  experiments 
of  Leva  in  the  Strauss  Polyclinic  in  Berlin. 

Jogurt  is  produced  by  the  aid  of  the  maja  bacilli.  The 
milk  is  first  cooked  for  a  long  time,  about  two  hours,  so  that 
it  thickens  and  loses  about  one-fourth  of  its  amount ;  it  is  then 
cooled  to  about  40°  or  45°  C.  The  maja  is  then  added  and  it 
is  allowed  to  ferment  at  45°  C.  In  about  five  hours  the  milk 
is  coagulated.  It  has  a  very  sour  taste.  Some  of  my  patients 
do  not  much  like  it,  and  it  is  not  always  well  tolerated,  as  it 
very  frequently  causes  acid  eructations  and  fermentation  in  the 
intestine;  for  this  reason  its  use — as  well  as  that  of  the  other 
sour-milk  products — is  not  indicated  in  cases  where  there  is 
acidity  of  the  stomach.  By  many  persons,  however,  it  is  well 
tolerated,  and  it  then  forms  a  very  beneficial  and  healthy  food. 
In  addition  to  its  disinfecting  property,  it  also  has  a  laxative 
action,  and  is  likewise  a  pronounced  diuretic.  It  is  unfor- 
tunate that,  as  I  have  mentioned  above,  it  is  so  frequently  not 
well  borne.  It  should,  however,  always  be  tried  whenever  its 
use  is  indicated,  and  should  only  be  abandoned  when  its  abso- 
lute intolerance  has  been  proven. 


182  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

4.  Various  Milk  Products:  Cream,  Buttermilk. 

When  milk  is  left  standing  the  fat  comes  to  the  top,  and 
when  the  milk  is  drunk  the  first  portion  taken  tastes  much 
better,  and  is  also  more  nutritious,  owing  to  the  fatty  content. 
The  upper  part  of  the  milk  contained  in  a  bottle  or  in  a  large 
pan  is  the  cream,  or,  as  it  is  called  in  Carlsbad,  the  "schmetten," 
or  "sahne."  The  name  "obers"  used  in  Austria  fully  ex- 
plains itself. 

The  chief  characteristic  of  cream  is  its  great  amount  of 
fat,  out  of  which  butter  is  formed.  Formerly  the  cream  was 
obtained  by  leaving  the  milk  undisturbed  in  a  cool  place,  in 
large  vessels  or  pans.  In  many  sections — in  Flanders,  for 
example — it  is  still  done  in  this  way,  as  I  have  myself  ob- 
served; and  since  the  milk  sours  so  easily,  and  alsO'  absorbs 
any  kind  of  unpleasant  odor,  the  farmers  are  very  particular 
in  keeping  every  one  outside  of  these  hallowed  precincts.  It 
is  a  very  interesting  fact  that  these  farmers  are  most  careful 
in  not  allowing  their  wives  or  their  maids  to  enter  while  preg- 
nant or  during  their  menstrual  period.  They  probably  attrib- 
ute some  injurious  influence  to  the  changed  condition  of  the 
breath,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  gastric  disturbances  at  such 
times.  When  we  consider  how  easily  a  slight  souring  of  the 
milk  may  occur,  their  anxiety  does  not  seem  to  be  unjustified. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  cream  obtained  in  this  primitive  way 
often  has  a  slightly  acid  taste,  and  sometimes  it  is  positively 
sour.  It  was  consequently  a  blessing  for  the  milk  industry, 
when  its  centrifugal  treatment  was  inaugurated.  The  Alpha 
separator  invented  by  the  Swede,  Bernstrom,  has  probably 
proved  to  be  the  most  efficacious.  With  this  mechanical  device 
great  cleanliness  is  possible,  and  the  quantity  of  cream  and 
butter  obtained  is  greatly  increased.  Souring  of  the  cream  is 
also  prevented ;  it  always  remains  sweet. 

Cream  is  a  food  of  great  nutritive  value,  and  has  a  very 
pleasant  taste.    It  is  much  indulged  in — in  the  form  of  whipped 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     183 

cream  (with  40  per  cent,  fat) — by  the  young  girls  in  Germany, 
To  be  sure,  it  has  the  disadvantage  of  being  very  indigestible, 
like  fats  in  general,  and  when,  therefore,  these  young  maidens 
indulge  in  their  favorite  tarts  with  whipped  cream,  about  two 
hours  before  their  evening  repast,  they  spoil  their  appetites 
for  this  much  more  important  meal,  thus  causing  a  deficit  in 
their  diet.  Taken  after  a  meal,  cream  is  a  splendid  agent  to 
promote  fattening.  As  every  one  knows,  it  is  also  used  in 
coffee,  and  greatly  improves  its  taste.  In  the  kitchen  it  serves 
as  an  addition  to  soups — thus  increasing  their  nutritive  value — 
to  meat  gravies,  etc.  As  already  mentioned,  cream  contains  a 
considerable  quantity  of  many  important  nutrient  salts.  It 
contains  much  more  magnesia,  and  iron,  in  particular,  than 
whole  milk. 

The  portion  of  the  milk  which  is  left  after  the  cream  has 
been  taken  off  is  the  skim  milk,  which,  unfortunately,  too  often 
masquerades  as  whole  milk.  It  is,  to  be  sure,  not  so  very  poor 
in  nutritive  qualities,  as  it  still  contains  the  casein  and  the  sugar 
content  of  the  milk,  and  also  some  little  fat,  except  in  the  case 
of  milk  which  has  been  centrifugally  treated,  in  which  there 
is  very  little  fat.  This  milk  is  very  useful  when  it  is  employed 
in  making  bread,  for  bread  is  not  at  all  rich  in  albumin — 
especially  rye  bread — and  what  there  is  is  not  well  assimilated. 
The  nutritive  properties  of  bread  are  therefore  much  increased 
by  the  addition  of  milk.  "Milk  breads"  and  "dairy  breads" 
are  much  used  in  Vienna  and  throughout  Austria  in  general. 

A  very  useful  milk  product  is  the  fluid  which  remains  after 
butter  has  been  made,  namely,  the  buttermilk.  This  is  probably 
used  in  no  country  to  the  extent  that  it  is  in  Holland.  It  is 
highly  recommended  by  our  Dutch  colleagues,  and  not  without 
reason,  since  it  is  particularly  easy  to  digest.  This  is  quite 
comprehensible,  since  the  butter,  containing  all  the  fatty  and 
indigestible  component  parts  of  the  milk,  has  been  removed. 
The  lactic  acid  which  is  contained  in  buttermilk,  which  has  not 


184  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

been  centrifiigally  separated,  makes  it  all  the  more  valuable, 
because  of  the  properties  which  we  have  already  mentioned. 
According  to  Rivet,  the  bacterial  flora  is  no  greater  when 
buttermilk  is  used  as  food  than  is  the  case  with  maternal  milk. 
Buttermilk  has  a  favorable  action  upon  the  bowels,  and 
is  also  mildly  diuretic.  In  view  of  the  above,  and  when  we 
remember  that  it  also  contains  very  valuable  nutritive  sub- 
stances, we  must  consider  it  as  the  most  healthful  milk  drink. 
According  to  Kirchner,  its  composition  is  as  follows : — 

Water 90.50  per  cent. 

Fat    0.85  per  cent. 

Proteins 3.75  per  cent. 

Milk-sugar,  lactic  acid  4.15  per  cent. 

Ash  0.75  per  cent. 

In  Holland  buttermilk  is  usually  made  from  sour  milk, 
and  its  action  is  consequently  more  beneficial  than  in  that  which 
is  obtained  centrifugally. 

Buttermilk  can  be  made  at  home  by  anyone,  by  simply 
beating  or  churning  sweet  or,  preferably,  sour  milk.  A  very 
practical  apparatus  for  this  purpose  is  manufactured  in  various 
sizes  in  Zeist,  in  Holland,  which  can  be  taken  along  when 
traveling,  so  that  one  is  able  to  prepare  one's  own  buttermilk 
at  any  time  or  place. 

When  milk  turns  sour,  the  casein  is  eliminated  owing  to 
the  action  of  the  lactic  acid,  and  the  milk  coagulates.  This  can 
be  even  better  accomplished  by  the  addition  of  a  ferment, — 
rennet.  The  entire  casein  content  is  then  eliminated  in  a  very 
short  time,  and  a  light-yellow  fluid  remains,  which,  after  the 
butter  is  removed,  forms  the  whey.  This  is  the  milk  fluid 
deprived  of  casein  and  of  the  greater  part  of  its  fat,  so  that  the 
sugar  is  the  only  remaining  nutritive  substance.  Since  the 
amount  of  sugar  varies  between  4  and  5  per  cent.,  whey  is  not 
to  be  recommended  for  diabetics.  On  the  other  hand,  it  may 
be  most  beneficial  in  the  treatment  of  constipation,  and  in  dis- 
eases of  the  st^>mach  and  intestinal  canal. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     185 

In  health  resorts,  such  as  Carlsbad,  whey  is  often  used 
to  supplement  the  general  treatment.  It  likewise  contains  a 
certain  quantity  of  lactic  acid,  usually  from  3  to  4  per  cent., 
which  adds  to  its  beneficial  effect. 

According  to  Fleishmann,  whey  is  composed,  in  the  fol- 
lowing proportions,  of : — 

Water    93.31  per  cent. 

Fat    0.10  per  cent. 

Albumin    0.27  per  cent. 

Milk-sugar  and  lactic  acid  5.85  per  cent. 

Salts   0.47  per  cent. 

All  things  considered,  buttermilk  is  preferable  to  whey, 
and,  first  of  all,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  more  nourishing. 
Whey  is,  however,  more  easily  digested  by  weak  stomachs.  It 
may  also  be  mentioned  that  wdiey  is  rich  in  certain  nutrient 
salts,  such  as  calcium  phosphate,  of  which  it  contains  21.04 
per  cent.,  and  calcium  chloride,  of  which  the  ash  contains  49.94 
p€r  cent. 

5.  Cheese. 

When  milk  is  soured  by  any  form  of  acid,  it  coagulates; 
the  casein  is  eliminated  and  cheese  is  formed.  Salting  and 
ripening  are  not  really  necessary  features  in  the  making  of 
cheese,  as  there  are  some  varieties  of  cheese,  such  as  the 
Gervais,  or  fresh-cream  cheese,  for  example,  in  which  these 
processes  are  not  resorted  to. 

For  the  wholesale  and  rational,  cleanly  manufacture  of 
cheese,  rennet  is  used.  Young  animals,  such  as  calves,  goats, 
and  lambs,  have  much  pepsin  (rennet)  in  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  their  stomachs,  from  which  it  can  be  removed  with 
common  salt,  thus  forming  an  extract.  When  a  small  quan- 
tity of  this  liquid  extract  is  added  to  milk  which  has  previously 
been  heated  to  about  30°  or  35°  C,  the  milk  will,  after  a  time, 
coagulate.     The  cheesy  substance  is  then  pressed  and  molded, 


186  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

and  is  afterward  salted.  The  quantity  of  salt  added  varies 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  cheese  being  made.  The  cheese 
is  then  placed  in  cellars  and  is  allowed  to  ripen, — a  species  of 
fermentative  process  caused  by  bacterial  action.  The  nature 
of  the  cheese  depends  not  only  upon  the  good  quality  of  the 
milk,  but  also  upon  the  kind  of  bacteria  which  are  acting  upon 
it  during  the  ripening  process.  A  great  variety  of  schizomy- 
cetes,  or  fission  fungi,  as  well  as  many  yeasts  and  hyphomy- 
cetes,  or  mold  fungi,  are  active  in  the  transformation.  In 
many  of  the  Dutch  cheeses,  such  as  Gouda,  Limburger,  etc., 
there  is  no  yeast.  During  the  fermentation  process  gases  are 
developed,  especially  carbonic  acid  gas,  and  when  they  disap- 
pear holes  in  the  cheese  remain.  In  the  making  of  i  kilo  of 
cheese,  lo  or  more  liters  of  milk  are  required. 

The  different  varieties  of  cheese  are  produced  according 
as  sweet  or  sour  milk,  cream,  or  skim  milk  or  whole  milk  is 
used,  as  well  as  according  to  the  pressure  exerted  and  the 
quantity  of  water  wdiich  the  milk  still  contains. 

Gervais  and  various  cream  cheeses  are  made  from  cream, 
or  whole  milk  and  cream,  and  are  either  not  pressed  at  all  or 
only  very  slightly  so.  Some  cheeses,  as  the  Gervais  and  cream 
cheese,  are  not  subjected  to  any  ripening,  or  they  may  be 
ripened  like  the  Neuchatel,  Brie,  Strachino,  Hagenberger,  and 
Schwarzenberger  varieties,  or  like  the  MacLaren  Canadian 
cheese,  so  well  known  in  England  and  America.  These  cheeses 
are  distinguished  by  the  fact  that  they  contain  a  great  deal  of 
fat,  which  exceeds  the  quantity  of  albumin. 

Soft  cheeses  made  from  whole  milk — the  fatty  cheeses  so 
greatly  used  by  us,  namely  the  Brimsen,  Liptauer,  and  Sieben- 
biirger  varieties — are  all  made  from  sheep's  milk. 

Hard  cheeses  are  subjected  to  heavy  pressure,  and  in  their 
preparation  the  milk  is  first  cooked.  From  fat-containing  milk 
the  Emmenthaler,  Edam,  Chedder,  and  Chester  cheeses  are 
made ;  the  Roquefort,  another  rich  cheese,  is  made  from  sheep's 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Pood  Substances.     187 

milk.  From  semifat  milk — the  whole  milk  of  the  morning 
milking  and  the  skimmed  evening  milk — Gruyere  and  Parme- 
san cheeses  are  made. 

The  varieties  containing  the  least  fat  are  the  Danish  ex- 
port cheese,  the  Swedish  kiimmel  cheese,  and  those  made  from 
sour  milk  or  buttermilk,  such  as  the  Mainz  hand  cheese, 
Topfen,  and  Ouargeln,  and  the  cheeses  made  from  whey. 

We  shall  now  give  a  table  of  the  various  cheeses  and  their 
composition  according  to  Hutchison^  : — 


Water. 

Proteids. 

Fat. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

40.7 

32.9 

31.0 

48.6 

21.0 

21.7 

31.9 

31.4 

26.8 

37.0 

8.6 

35.9 

32.9 

30.8 

17.8 

39.1 

31.5 

28.2 

30.0 

43.8 

16.5 

25.1 

39.8 

31.5 

27.6 

23.9 

18.9 

Ash. 
Per  cent. 


Brie 

Carembert  . . 

Chedder 

Cream  cheese 
Dutch  cheese 

Gruyere 

Parmesan  . . . 
Roquefort  . . . 
Stilton 


4.5 
4.4 
3.9 
1.5 
6.7 
4.0 
5.9 
5.5 
3.1 


Nutrient  Salt  Content  of  the  Swiss  Cheeses.2 

Phos- 

Potash.      Soda.  Lime.    Magnesia.     Iron      phoric  Sulphuric  SiHclc     Chlorine, 

oxide.      acid.        acid.  acid. 

Perct.        Perct.       Per  ct.     Per  ct.     Per  ct.     Perct.  Per  ct.      Perct. 

33.01        17.82       0.81       0.17       20.0       45.0       0.08       33.61 


Per  ct. 
2.46 


The  chief  characteristic  of  cheese  as  a  food  is  that  it  prob- 
ably possesses  the  highest  nutritive  value  of  any,  and  also  offers 
the  most  albumin,  exceeding  in  this  respect  meat  and  the  most 
nourishing  among  the  vegetable  foods.  When  we  remember 
that  with  I  kilo  of  cheese  we  obtain  3808  calories  we  are  surely 
justified  in  considering  it  the  most  nourishing  food,  since, 
moreover,  it  contains  the  three  main  elements  of  our  nourish- 
ment. If  an  adult  person  takes  during  a  day  ^  kilo  of  rich 
cheese,  3^  liter  of  milk,  a  large  piece  of  white  bread,  and  suffi- 


^  Hutchison :    Loc.  cit.,  p.  144. 

2E.  Wolff,  after  Albu  and  Neuberg. 


188  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

cient  butter  for  the  latter,  he  will  have  a  full  ration,  and  there 
is  probably  no  mode  of  nourishment  which  is  more  wholesome 
and  less  injurious  for  the  various  organs  of  the  body.  Cheese, 
notwithstanding  its  great  nutritive  content,  does  not  lead  to 
the  formation  of  uric  acid,  nor  does  it  irritate  the  kidneys  or 
the  liver,  if  the  kind  used  is  not  too  old.  Old  cheese  certainly 
does  not  possess  the  hygienic  properties  of  fresh,  soft  cheese ; 
but  it  is  often  more  easily  digested,  its  albumin  content  having 
become  peptonized.  It  may  sometimes,  however,  contain  sub- 
stances having  a  toxic  action,  as  has  been  shown  by  Vaughan. 
For  a  healthy  person  cheese  is  an  easily  digested  food,  and 
it  is  also  very  well  assimilated.  It  assists  in  the  digestion  of 
other  foods;  thus,  macaroni  is  more  readily  digested  when  a 
finely  grated  cheese,  e.g.,  Parmesan,  is  sprinkled  over  it;  the 
same  is  true  in  the  case  of  Indian  corn  (Kukuruz).  While 
cheese  is  well  digested  by  a  healthy  stomach,  the  case  is  quite 
different  where  this  organ  is  weak.  In  such  conditions  it  is 
better  to  forbid  the  use  of  cheese,  for  the  fat,  especially  in  hard 
cheeses,  is  digested  with  difficulty,  and  even  the  albumin  is  not 
easily  acted  upon  by  the  gastric  juice,  since  it  is  surrounded 
by  fat.  The  fat  contained  in  the  fresh,  soft  varieties  of  cheese 
should,  in  general,  be  more  readily  digested.  Fatty  cheeses 
of  the  nature  of  Gervais  may  be  advantageously  used  where 
there  is  overacidity  of  the  stomach ;  but  not  the  old  cheeses, 
especially  Edam  or  similar  varieties.  Great  care  must  be 
taken  that  the  soft  cream  cheeses,  such  as  Gervais,  are  per- 
fectly fresh,  for  rancid  cheese  is  very  apt  to  cause  digestive 
disturbances.  Just  like  fresh,  unsalted  butter,  the  unsalted 
cream  cheese  does  not  keep  well,  and  must  be  used  when  quite 
fresh.  When  one  has  very  good  teeth,  and  thoroughly  masti- 
cates the  hard  cheeses,  they  are  not  so  hard  to  digest.  In  order 
to  assist  the  digestion  of  cheese,  it  would  be  well  to  follow  the 
advice  of  Robert  Hutchison,  viz.,  to  take  as  much  bicarbonate 
of  soda  as  will  cover  the  point  of  a  knife  with  every  quarter- 
pound  of  cheese. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     189 

Cheese  may  be  especially  valuable  when  It  is  taken  in  ad- 
dition to  a  vegetable  diet,  since  but  little  albumin  is  obtained 
from  the  latter, — a  fact  which  may  bring-  about  dangerous 
results.  These  will  be  described  in  another  portion  of  this 
work. 

6.  Butter  and  Oleomargarine. 

Good  fresh  butter  is  the  most  savory  and  probably  also 
the  most  easily  tolerated  of  all  fats.  Its  principal  advantage 
over  other  kinds  of  fat  is  that  its  fat  is  not  inclosed  in  cells,  but 
consists  of  free  globules,  so  that  it  is  more  easily  acted  upon  by 
the  digestive  fluids,  and  more  readily  digested.  Yet,  butter 
is  only  a  desirable  and  easily  digested  food  when  it  is  quite 
fresh  and  has  not  become  at  all  rancid.  A  certain  amount  of 
free  fatty  acids  are  required  in  butter,  for  .these  give  it  taste 
and  aroma.  In  large  establishments  it  is  customary  to  inoc- 
ulate the  cream  with  certain  kinds  of  bacteria  to  cause  the 
formation  of  a  small  quantity  of  acid.  The  best  taste  and  the 
finest  aroma  will  be  found  in  the  butter  when  the  cows  feed  in 
meadows ;  in  this  way  it  also  has  a  fine  yellow  color.  During 
a  journey  from  France  into  Spain  at  the  end  of  the  winter, 
while  still  in  France,  I  had  white  butter  which  was  the  product 
of  stable  feeding;  as  I  went  farther  south,  the  color  of  the 
butter  became  more  yellow,  and  the  taste  was  greatly  im- 
proved, the  cows  having  there  been  turned  out  into  the 
meadows. 

The  manner  of  feeding  cows  greatly  influences  the  quality 
and  color  of  butter.  With  foods  containing  much  chlorophyll 
the  yellow  color  is  obtained ;  unfortunately,  however,  this  may 
also  be  artificially  produced  by  saffron,  curcuma,  and  yellow- 
turnip  juice. 

Butter  should  be  kept  in  a  cool  and  dark  place,  since  light 
and  heat  affect  it  injuriously.    Heat  soon  causes  it  to  become 


190  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

rancid,  but  when  it  is  stored  in  a  cool  place  it  will  keep  a  week 
or  even  longer.  It  is  best,  however,  to  eat  butter  as  fresh  as 
possible.  When  butter  is  subjected  to  a  high  temperature  free 
fatty  acids  may  be  engendered,  and  it  is  consequently  better  to 
use  fresh  butter  with  one's  food,  instead  of  the  browned  butter 
which  is  obtained  at  a  high  temperature,  since  the  latter  may 
irritate  the  stomach  by  the  quantity  of  fatty  acid  thus  formed. 
Fresh  butter,  even  when  taken  in  considerable  quantities,  is 
readily  digested  by  a  healthy  stomach,  and  even  a  weak 
stomach  will  tolerate  a  fair  amount  of  it.  The  results  are 
quite  different,  however,  with  a  slightly  rancid  butter,  which 
often  has  injurious  effects  on  the  digestive  apparatus.  Butter 
made  from  sour  cream  will  keep  longer,  as  about  2  per  cent, 
of  salt  is  added  to  it.  Nevertheless,  I  do  not  consider  the 
practice  of  salting  butter  as  it  is  usually  done  in  Holland, 
Scandinavia,  north  Germany,  and  everywhere  in  North 
America  as  healthful  as  the  use  of  fresh,  unsalted  butter,  since 
the  increased  salt  content  is  often  injurious  for  the  kidneys.  I 
find,  also,  that  salted  butter  never  tastes  as  good  as  the  fresh, 
unsalted  kind ;  the  salt  may  cover  certain  defects  in  the  quality 
of  the  butter,  but  does  not  prevent  possible  injurious  effects. 
The  great  value  of  butter  lies  principally  in  the  fact  that  when 
added  to  other  foods  it  much  increases  their  nourishing  quali- 
ties.   According  to  Konig,  butter  contains  : — 

Fat    87.0  per  cent. 

Casein    0.5  per  cent. 

Milk-sugar    0.5  per  cent. 

Water    11.7  per  cent. 

Thus,  to  absorb  much  fat  in  a  digestible  form,  butter  will 
be  found  a  perfectly  ideal  food,  and  all  the  more  so  since  it 
is  likewise  largely  taken  up  or  absorbed  by  many  foods  which 
otherwise  would  have  but  little  nutritive  value,  and  are  never- 
theless indispensable  for  us,  such  as  green  vegetables.  Their 
taste  is  also  greatly  improved;  Brussels  sprouts,  for  instance, 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  J\irioiis  Food  Substances.     191 

certainly  taste  much  better  when  butter  is  added.  Potatoes 
and  bread  seem  very  dry  without  butter,  and  children  find  their 
bread  and  butter  taken  during  the  recess  at  school  a  most  de- 
lightful food. 

Butter  being  so  sought  after  and  so  much  liked  by  all,  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  it  has  been  imitated  and  artificially 
manufactured.  \Miile  Napoleon  III  was  devoting  special  at- 
tention to  the  army,  he  attempted  the  manufacture  of  an  artifi- 
cial butter  at  Mege-lMouries ;  this  was  successfully  accom- 
plished under  his  orders,  and  was  the  origin  of  oleomargarine. 
This  consists  of  a  mixture  of  beef-fat,  or  in  fact  of  any  animal 
fat,  and  milk.  The  fat,  which  is  principally  kidney-fat,  is 
melted  or  drawn  out.  An  emulsion  is  then  formed  with  milk 
and  water,  making  a  kind  of  buttery  compound.  If  all  oleo- 
margarines were  made  in  this  way,  there  could  be  no  great 
objection  to  their  use.  It  is  certainly  better  for  the  poor  to  eat 
a  good  oleomargarine  than  a  very  poor  equality  of  butter.  But 
here  again  the  poor  are  defrauded,  for  lately  the  animal  fat  has 
been  largely  replaced  by  vegetable  fats,  which  would  not  of 
itself  be  so  bad  were  it  not  that  they  are  often  of  a  very  in- 
ferior quality.  Instead  of  using  the  finer  grades  of  edible  oils 
the  very  poorest  are  used,  and  the  melted  animal  fat,  which 
forms  the  principal  constituent  of  oleomargarine,  is  mostly  re- 
placed by  tallow. 

Were  we  simply  to  judge  a  food  according  to  its  nutritive 
value,  not  much  fault  could  be  found  with  oleomargarine,  for 
the  nutritive  value  of  a  good  quality  is  about  the  same  as  that 
of  butter.  While  I  do'  not  disguise  my  dislike  for  oleomar- 
garine, I  may  say  that  it  is  principally  due  to  an  antipathy  for 
the  imitation  of  a  natural  substance  by  an  artificial  one,  which 
antipathy  is  common  to  all  normal  people.  I  would  also  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  principal  difference  between 
oleomargarine  and  real  butter  lies  precisely  in  that  property 
which  is  most  prized  in  our  foods,  namely,  the  taste.     Even 


192  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

when  made  from  the  very  best  ingredients  oleomargarine 
never  approaches  butter  in  its  taste ;  it  does  not  have  the  same 
amount  of  free  fatty  acids.  This  pecuHarity  may  prove  an 
advantage  in  certain  diseases,  as,  for  instance,  in  severe  dia- 
betes, in  which  the  fatty  acids  must,  in  so  far  as  is  possible,  be 
eliminated  from  the  food.  In  a  nomial  person  it  is  quite 
different,  and  the  saponification  of  butter  in  the  intestine  is 
more  easily  accomplished  than  is  the  case  with  oleomargarine. 
When,  however,  the  taste  and  fine  aroma  of  butter  are  lacking, 
the  most  important  characteristic  of  food  substances  in  general 
is  lost,  and  I,  as  an  advocate  of  good  butter,  know  that  when 
it  does  not  taste  fresh  and  good  I  have  no  appetite  for  it  and 
use  a  much  smaller  quantity.  While  experiments  have  shown 
that  digestion  and  assimilation  of  oleomargarine  are  equally 
as  well  carried  on  in  animals,  and  perhaps  also  in  man,  as  with 
butter,  I  nevertheless  find  a  great  difference  in  the  appetite 
with  which  an  aromatic,  pale-yellow,  fresh,  natural  butter,  such 
as  is  made  in  Teschen,  for  instance,  will  be  taken  and  that 
with  which  the  same  person  will  eat  a  fatty  and  tasteless  oleo- 
margarine. If  what  Father  Cats  said  three  hundred  years  ago, 
in  his  old  Dutch  dialect — "wat  srnaekt  dat  voet"  (what  tastes 
good  nourishes) — is  true,  then  oleomargarine  cannot  be  as 
satisfactory  as  butter.  It  has  the  advantage,  however,  of  not 
becoming  rancid,  and  for  those  who  have  not  the  means  to 
buy  butter  oleomargarine  is  certainly  a  useful  substance. 

When  we  consider,  however,  how  often  the  falsifiers  sell 
artificial  butter  at  the  same  price  as  the  real,  we  shall  welcome 
the  fact  that  the  government  authorities  require  oleomargarine 
to  be  declared  as  such. 

This,  however,  is  only  possible  in  the  markets;  in  hotels 
and  restaurants  the  guest  does  not  have  this  certainty,  and  no 
doubt  the  author  has  during  his  travels  frequently  eaten  oleo- 
margarine instead  of  butter,  or  a  butter  largely  mixed  with 
oleomargarine.     Supervision  by  the  authorities  in  the  form  of 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     193 

examinations  of  artificial  foods  should  consequently  not  only 
be  carried  on  in  the  markets,  but  be  extended  to  the  kitchens 
of  hotels,  etc.  Of  course,  we  do  not  here  refer  to  hostelries 
of  the  best  class,  for  every  intelligent  guest  would  surely 
notice  whether  the  butter  placed  before  him  was  good  or  not, 
and  no  sensible  proprietor  would  imperil  the  reputation  of  his 
house  by  lowering -the  quality  of  a  food  product  which  plays 
such  an  important  role  in  the  preparation  of  the  meals. 


7.  Hints  Concerning  the  Advantages  of  a  Milk  Diet, 
and  its  Practical  Use. 

Milk  is  our  most  valuable  food,  and  there  is  no  other 
which  affords  greater  service  in  maintaining  the  health  of  man- 
kind. That  this  is  the  case  is  best  proven  by  the  fact  that 
among  those  who  not  only  attain  the  age  of  100  years,  but  even 
exceed  it,  we  find  many  who  live  solely  upon  milk,  or  in  whose 
diet  milk  occupies  a  very  prominent  place. 

That  a  person  living  chiefly  upon  milk  may  reach  the  nor- 
mal limits  of  a  lifetime,  or  even  go  beyond  it,  is  not  surprising 
wiien  we  remember  that  there  is  no  form  of  diet  which  exerts 
so  marked  a  protective  influence  upon  our  organs  as  that  of 
milk.  By  virtue  of  the  absence  of  a  large  amount  of  ex- 
tractive substances,  a  food  is  provided  for  the  liver  and  kid- 
neys, as  well  as  the  blood-vessels,  which  contains  as  little 
material  as  possible  of  an  irritating  nature.  Since  no  uric  acid 
is  formed  by  it,  milk  is  one  of  the  best  preventives  against 
gout.  Since,  with  a  milk  diet,  lactic  acid  is  formed  in  con- 
siderable quantities  in  the  intestines,  the  development  of  an 
injurious  intestinal  flora  and  the  formation  of  decomposition 
products  are  prevented, — a  fact  which,  according  to  Metch- 
nikoff,  is  of  great  importance  for  the  prolongation  of  life. 
I  might  add  also,  as  has  already  been  stated,  that  milk  contains 
the  secretions  of  the  ductless  glands,  which,  as  we  have  shown 


194  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

in  our  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  govern  all  the  life  proc- 
esses, and  upon  the  condition  of  which  longevity  depends. 
We  not  only  absorb  in  the  milk  the  secretion  of  the  thyroid 
gland,  but  also  the  internal  secretions  of  other  organs,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  milk  provides  a  food  by  which  such  organs  as 
the  thyroid,  the  adrenals,  the  liver,  kidneys,  etc.,  are  best  pro- 
tected and  enabled  satisfactorily  to  carry  on  their  functions  of 
detoxication.  Milk  can,  however,  only  be  accepted  as  really 
good  when  it  is  taken  as  it  comes  from  the  cow,  that  is,  raw, 
and  when  there  is  certainty  that  it  has  been  obtained  from  a 
healthy  animal  with  the  most  stringent  precautions.  The 
cows  must  be  kept  in  a  thoroughly  clean  stable,  from  which 
the  dejecta  are  carried  off  by  special  drainage.  The  milking 
staff  should  consist  of  healthy  persons,  who  should  put  on 
clean  white  clothes  for  the  milking  and  carefully  wash  their 
hands  just  before  beginning.  The  udders  should  also  pre- 
viously have  been  washed.  The  process  of  milking  could  be 
accomplished  in  a  still  more  cleanly  manner  if  it  were  carried 
on  by  means  of  a  suction  apparatus  operated  with  an  air  pump. 
After  the  milking  the  milk  should  at  once  be  cooled  and  then 
be  placed  in  sterilized  bottles,  as  is  done  in  the  dairy  of  the 
Hagendorf  domains,  near  Carlsbad,  where  the  walls  of  the 
stalls  are  enameled  and  everything  is  conducted  under  the 
strictest  hygienic  precautions.  Here  the  cows  are  frequently 
examined  by  veterinary  physicians  (this  should,  of  course, 
always  be  the  case)  and  the  milk  is  only  taken  from  cows 
which  do  not  react  to  tuberculin. 

It  is  necessary  to  keep  the  milk  at  a  low  temperature,  as 
otherwise,  with  the  milk  in  a  lukewarm  condition,  the  develop- 
ment of  bacteria  is  facilitated,  so  that  after  one  or  two  hours 
the  originally  small  number  of  these  organisms  is  increased 
to  many  thousands. 

The  country  would  certainly  have  many  more  inhabitants 
if  the  obtaining  of  milk  were  controlled  by  the  government ;  the 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     195 

infant  mortality,  especially  during  the  summer,  would  thereby 
be  reduced.  When,  owing  to  fear  of  the  milk  containing 
bacteria,  children  are  fed  upon  pasteurized  or  boiled  milk,  they 
do  not  develop  as  well.  That  the  same  is  true  in  the  case  of 
animals  has  been  shown  by  the  experiments  of  Behring. 
The  experiments  conducted  by  Palmer,  of  Chicago,  who  fed 
700  children  upon  raw  milk  during  the  midsummer  months 
and  only  lost  3  out  of  the  number,  are  most  instructive  in 
this  connection.  As  Monrad  says,  referring  to  the  results 
obtained  by  Palmer,  the  history  of  all  his  cases  showed  that 
the  miserable  atrophied  children  began  to  live  from  the 
moment  treatment  with  raw  milk  was  begun.  I  wish  to  add 
here  that  lactic  acid  bacilli  are  always  present  in  raw  milk  to 
a  greater  or  less  degree,  and  that  they  prevent  the  formation 
of  large  numbers  of  other  bacteria,  such  as  those  of  typhoid 
fever,  for  instance.  The  latter  cannot  develop  in  raw  milk, 
which  may  nevertheless  give  rise  to  the  disease,  since  the  bac- 
teria are  not  destroyed  immediately  by  the  lactic  acid  bacilli. 
When  the  milk  has  been  boiled  or  sterilized,  however,  typhoid 
bacilli  which  have  gotten  into  it  will  remain  in  it  for  months, 
as  well  as  other  forms  of  poisonous  bacteria  which  are  in- 
jurious in  children  and  are  the  cause  of  the  so  greatly  dreaded 
summer  diarrhea.  Barlow's  disease  in  children  has  also  been 
ascribed  to  the  habitual  use  of  boiled  milk. 

When  raw  milk  free  of  all  objections  cannot  be  obtained, 
It  is  advisable  to  use  another  milk  product, — buttermilk.  This, 
to  be  sure,  is  also  milk,  but  it  contains  more  lactic  acid  and  less 
fat ;  milk  prepared  by  Soxhlet's  method  is  likewise  indicated. 

It  is  not  only  milk  that  may  contain  the  bacteria,  but  also 
the  products  obtained  from  it,  such  as  cream  and  butter.  In 
large  establishments  the  butter  is  also  pasteurized,  which  proc- 
ess is  less  damaging  to  butter  than  it  is  to  milk,  since  the 
former  is  merely  a  fat-containing  food,  and  the  fat  loses 
nothing  by  pasteurization  except  some  of  its  taste.     Butter 


196 


treated  in  this  way  never  tastes  as  fresh  and  good  as  the 
natural  butter,  nor  does  it  have  the  same  aroma.  The  bacilli 
of  tuberculosis  and  of  other  diseases,  such  as  typhoid  fever, 
have  not  infrequently  been  found  in  butter.  Teichert  found 
tubercle  bacilli  in  22  per  cent,  of  the  Posen  country-made  but- 
ter. In  view,  however,  of  the  quantities  of  butter  which  we 
regularly  eat,  a  normal  person  need  not  fear  its  use. 

Having  overcome  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  obtaining  a 
milk  free  from  bacteria,  we  encounter  another  difficulty.  If 
we  are  to  take  large  amounts  of  milk,  we  must  find  it  agreeable 
to  the  palate,  or  we  shall  soon  grow  tired  of  it.  In  order  to 
get  a  really  good,  rich,  palatable  milk — a  food  containing  as 
much  fat  and  nitrogen  as  possible-— the  cow  must  be  fed  with 
substances  containing  these  elements.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in 
the  field  of  our  nutrition,  the  following  principle  holds  good : 
In  order  to  reap  well,  we  must  sow  well.  When  the  poor  cow 
has  been  cheated  by  unscrupulous  dealers,  and  swallows  saw- 
dust or  shavings  in  admixture  with  her  food,  she  has  plenty 
of  material  in  her  stomach,  but  it  is  not  of  such  a  nature  as  will 
increase  the  quantity  or  improve  the  quality  of  the  milk.  A 
nitrogenous  food  such  as  grass  or  corn  favors  the  production 
of  more  fat  in  the  milk,  which  is  not  accomplished  by  the 
simple  addition  of  oil  to  the  food.  Potato  peelings  and 
brandy  mash  give  an  unnatural  taste  to  the  milk.  The  very 
best  and  most  natural  method  of  feeding  is  in  the  open 
meadow :  the  cows  eat  more  and  give  much  purer  and  better 
milk.  Some  cattle  owners  dislike  to  lose  the  manure  in  this 
way,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  fields  themselves 
are  fertilized  while  the  cows  are  feeding.  The  great  fertility 
of  the  plains  of  Canada  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  for 
hundreds  of  years  they  were  fertilized  by  the  bisons  which 
were  grazing  upon  them.  That  flatulence  and  diarrhea  are 
sometimes  caused  in  the  cows  by  the  dewy  grass  does  not 
affect  the  milk  in  any  way,  if  care  and  cleanliness  are  exercised 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     197 

so  that  the  excreta  do  not  contaminate  it.  The  finest  and 
best-tasting  milk  is  to  be  found  in  those  countries  in  which  the 
cows  are  always  in  the  fields,  as  in  Holland  and  in  England. 
From  the  fertile  reclaimed  swamps  of  Friesland  the  finest 
quality  of  milk  and  of  butter  is  obtained.  Damp  countries 
like  Holland,  Denmark,  and  England  have  the  finest  grass  and 
clover,  and  consequently  furnish  the  best  milk  and  butter. 
Much  can  be  done  to  improve  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the 
grass  when  the  ground  is  manured.  As  clover  contains  much 
potash  and  nitrogen  the  ground  should  be  fertilized  with  these 
substances. 

Even  though  the  very  purest  and  best  milk  be  obtainable 
it  may  happen  that  its  use  will  be  interfered  with,  owing  to 
difiiculties  from  the  standpoint  of  the  consumer  which  will 
render  the  drinking  of  it  impossible. 

Some  persons  possess  an  antipathy  to  milk,  which,  in  its 
ordinary  form,  is  not  well  tolerated  by  their  stomachs.  This 
is  especially  noticeable  in  women  and  young  girls.  In  such 
cases  the  milk  may  be  diluted  one-third  with  some  alkaline 
mineral  water,  such  as  Biliner  or  Vichy-celestins.  The  addi- 
tion of  some  fine  flour  may  also  render  the  milk  more  digest- 
ible and,  hence,  better  borne.  Small  children,  too,  sometimes 
prefer  milk  given  to  them  in  this  form.  For  those  who  can- 
not tolerate  ordinary  milk  at  all  the  more  easily  digested 
buttermilk  may  be  of  great  service. 

At  all  events,  the  milk  products,  such  as  butter  and  cheese, 
may  be  used  in  such  cases.  It  would  be  a  good  thing  for  us 
to  adopt  the  custom  which  prevails  in  America,  of  eating  some 
butter  wnth  each  meal.  In  the  restaurants  there,  butter  is 
furnished  without  charge,  along  with  the  other  food  ordered. 
Unfortunately  the  butter  is  always  salted  in  America,  and, 
while  it  may  be  preferred  in  this  way  by  some,  it  is  by  no 
means  as  healthful  as  fresh  butter. 


198  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

The  use  of  cheese  after  each  meal  at  which  much  meat  has 
been  partaken  of  would  be  advisable ;  in  healthy  persons  it 
would  be  of  service  in  favoring  the  assimilation  of  food,  and 
where  an  abundant  meat  diet  is  taken  intestinal  decomposition 
will  be  hindered  by  the  use  of  cheese  and  butter. 

The  other  advantages  of  a  milk  diet  will  be  treated  of  in 
the  chapter  on  the  milk-vegetarian  diet. 

8.  Additional  Note  Concerning  the  Benefit  Occasionally 
to  he  Derived  from  a  Glass  of  Hot  Milk. 

We  have  already  emphasized  the  fact  that  milk  should 
be  taken  raw.  Circumstances  may  present  themselves,  how- 
ever, when  a  glass  of  hot  milk  will  exert  a  beneficial  influence 
upon  the  system.  This  is  the  case,  for  instance,  where  one 
has  been  out  on  a  damp,  cold,  winter's  day,  and  comes  in 
feeling  chilled.  In  cold,  windy  weather  the  activity  of  the  skin 
functions  are  greatly  diminished.  The  various  poisonous 
products  which  are  usually  thrown  off  through  the  skin  are  in 
consequence  retained,  the  result  being  a  decided  feeling  of 
discomfort.  _ 

These  substances  then  find  their  way  into  the  kidneys  and 
exert  an  irritating  action  upon  the  delicate  epithelia  of  these 
organs.  Now,  by  drinking  one  or  two  glasses  of  hot  milk, 
we  greatly  stimulate  the  activity  of  the  skin.  The  circulation 
of  the  blood  is  increased,  more  blood  flows  toward  the  skin, 
and  we  feel  much  warmer.  The  irritating  action  of  the  sub- 
stances passing  through  the  kidneys  is  diminished,  and  when 
hot  milk  is  taken,  together  with  irritating  agents  in  the  food, 
their  action  upon  the  various  organs,  the  kidneys  in  particular, 
is  less  intense. 

In  inflammatory  conditions  of  the  mucous  membranes  hot 
milk  exerts  a  beneficial  action.  This  is  noticeable  in  colds,  if 
early  in  the  morning  or  on  rising  hot  whey  or  hot  milk  is 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     199 

taken  together  with  Ems  water,  or  Giesshubler,  Krondorfer, 
or  Bihner.  Even  without  the  addition  of  such  waters,  warm 
milk  will  exert  a  favorable  influence  upon  the  irritated  and 
inflamed  mucous  membranes.  When,  for  instance,  in  acute 
gonorrhea  the  urethral  mucous  membrane  is  extremely  sensi- 
tive, almost  all  pain  in  urinating  may  be  avoided  by  the  pre- 
vious ingestion  of  one  or  two  glasses  of  hot  milk.  This  is  also 
the  case  in  chronic  gonorrhea  when  the  urethra  has  been 
sounded;  the  severe  pains  accompanying  the  first  passage  of 
urine  are  considerably  diminished  after  hot  milk  has  been 
taken. 

In  the  presence  of  inflammatory  conditions  of  the  intes- 
tines, hot  milk  may  prove  more  useful  than  other  food  sub- 
stances, especially  if  rice  or  sago  in  the  form  of  a  thin  paste  be 
taken  with  it. 

To  warm  the  body  up  on  a  cold,  frosty  day,  tea  is  often 
used;  but  from  the  standpoint  of  health  milk  is  better,  espe- 
cially where  the  kidneys  are  not  absolutely  normal.  A  small 
quantity  of  coffee  or  tea  could,  of  course,  be  added  to  the  milk 
to  render  it  more  palatable.  Addition  of  the  yolks  of  one  or 
two  eggs  makes  of  milk  a  very  strengthening  drink  after  ex- 
hausting journeys  in  winter. 

For  patients  who  are  ordered  to  take  large  quantities  of 
milk,  but  dislike  it,  too,  the  addition  of  yolks  of  eggs  may  make 
it  more  palatable.  In  some  countries,  e.g.,  in  Spain,  a  few 
drops  of  an  extract  of  orange  flowers  are  added  to  flavor 
hot  milk. 

While  hot  milk  exerts  a  very  favorable  influence  upon  the 
more  remotely  situated  mucous  membranes,  it  may  occasion- 
ally injure  the  buccal  mucosa.  It  is  best  to  have  it  served  in 
porcelain  glasses,  and,  when  it  is  too  hot  to  drink,  it  can  then 
first  be  poured  into  a  cold,  empty  glass. 


200  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

(/)   Fats  of  Animal  Origin. 

All  foods,  before  they  are  absorbed  by  the  intestines, 
must  first  be  brought  into  a  fluid  condition.  This  rule  holds 
good  for  the  fats,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  such  fats  as 
are  not  soluble  and  do  not  melt  at  the  temperature  of  our 
bodies  are  digested  with  difficulty.  Lamb-fat  melts  at  a  tem- 
perature of  45°  to  55°  C. ;  it  is  therefore  very  indigestible. 
Next  in  order  in  respect  of  digestibility  comes  beef-fat;  its 
melting  point  is  lower  than  that  of  lamb-fat,  yet  often  exceeds 
40°  C.  Pork-fat  is  rather  better,  but  it  also  melts  at  about 
40°  C,  and  frequently  even  at  a  higher  temperature.  The 
Jews  are  wise  in  cooking  with  goose-fat,  which  has  its  melt- 
ing point  always  below  40°  C, ;  on  the  average  it  is  30°  to 
35°  C,  but  sometimes  it  is  lower  than  that.  Goose-fat  is  con- 
sequently the  most  easily  digested  fat,  because  its  melting  point 
is  the  lowest  of  any  fat  of  animal  origin.  Its  taste  is  pleasant, 
and  it  is  more  healthful  than  pork-fat.  Butter  made  from 
cows'  milk  is  also  very  wholesome,  and,  next  to  goose-fat, 
probably  melts  at  a  lower  temperature  than  any  other.  For 
this  reason  it  is  quite  justifiable  to  employ  butter  for  daily 
use  in  preparing  food.  It  is  certainly  not  healthful  to  use 
beef-fat  (drippings)  for  cooking,  as  is  done  in  many  hotels  in 
England.  I  have  learned  from  personal  experience  how  fre- 
quently one  has  eructations  and  acid  is  formed  in  the  stomach 
after  its  use.  That  lamb-fat  remains  for  a  considerable  time 
in  the  stomach  can  often  be  noticed  after  one  has  eaten  fat 
lamb  for  dinner.  Fat,  in  general,  retards  the  movements  of 
the  stomach. 

Fluid  fat,  such  as  fish-blubber  and  codliver  oil,  is  not  very 
indigestible,  and  both  children  and  adults  can  tolerate  quite 
a  considerable  amount  of  the  finer  varieties,  although  it  has  a 
much  more  unpleasant  taste  than  other  animal  fats.  It  is 
certainly  worthy  of  being  much  more  generally  used  by  weak, 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  J'arions  Food  Substances.     201 

delicate  adults,  and  by  persons  who  have  been  debilitated  by 
exhausting  diseases,  than  it  is  now,  as  it  is  well  absorbed  and 
assimilated.  Animal  fats  in  general  are  w^ell  assimilated,  as 
has  been  shown  in  the  case  of  milk-fats  by  the  experiments  of 
Tschernoff.  Among  the  Eskimos,  fish-blubber  forms  a  large 
part  of  the  diet ;  in  common  with  other  northern  peoples,  they 
have  a  great  predilection  for  fats.  In  Scandinavia  butter  is 
never  absent  from  the  table,  especially  in  Sweden,  where  at 
every  meal  it  is  thickly  spread  upon  the  Swedish  graham  bread 
— "Knakebrod" — or  upon  white  bread. 

This  preference  on  the  part  of  dwellers  in  cold  climates 
for  fats  is  probably  due  to  the  necessity  of  a  food  rich  in 
calories,  i.e.,  which  will  produce  much  heat ;  and  fat,  of  all 
foods,  is  that  of  greatest  value  in  this  direction.  Even  in 
temperate  climates  the  daily  addition  of  a  considerable  amount 
of  fat  to  the  diet  increases  the  nutritive  value  of  the  latter  and 
improves  the  taste  of  the  viands.  Butter  is  best  for  this  pur- 
pose, as  has  already  been  said;  indeed,  our  food  in  general 
should  be  prepared  with  it;  to  vegetables,  in  particular,  it 
should  be  freely  added.  Butter  is  far  better  than  vegetable 
fats,  as  I  have  ascertained  from  personal  experience. 

Fatty  foods  should  be  ingested  by  persons  desirous  of 
rapidly  taking  on  flesh,  since  the  fat  absorbed  from  foods,  if 
well  digested  and  assimilated,  will  speedily  produce  this  result. 
Too  much  fat,  however,  should  not  be  taken  at  one  time,  as 
the  assimilation  of  other  foods  will  suffer.  That  fat  should  be 
avoided  by  the  obese  is  self-evident;  diabetics,  on  the  other 
hand,  by  taking  fats  with  vegetables  may  derive  some  benefit 
from  their  use.  The  butter  which  they  use  should,  however, 
be  well  washed  out  and  freed  of  fatty  acids,  as  otherwise  rapid 
formation  of  the  dreaded  acetone  bodies  may  follow.  Pigs' 
lard  and  certain  vegetable  fats  containing  the  least  amount  of 
fatty  acids,  e.g.,  cottonseed  oil  (which,  according  to  Salkowski, 
contains  only  0.29  per  cent.),  would  be  preferable  in  such  cases. 


202  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


(g)  Leguminous  Vegetables  and  their  Importance. 

When  it  is  desired  tO'  absorb  a  large  amount  of  vegetable 
albumin,  it  is  best  to  rely  especially  on  the  leguminous  varieties. 
These  are  so  rich  in  albumin  as  to  be  unsurpassed  in  this 
respect  by  any  other  vegetable  or  even  animal  food.  The 
difference  between  the  albumin  contained  in  animal  tissues  and 
that  of  leguminous  vegetable  foods  lies  in  the  fact  that  meat 
albumin  is  well  assimilated,  whereas  this  is  not  the  case  with 
that  contained  in  legumes,  when  prepared  in  the  usual  way, 
even  if  they  have  been  cooked  for  a  considerable  time.  When 
used  in  the  form  of  a  puree  they  are  more  digestible  and  are 
better  assimilated,  so  that  no  great  amount  is  passed  out  un- 
used by  the  intestine. 

The  special  property  which  renders  leguminous  vegetables 
hard  to  digest  and  to  assimilate  is  the  quantity  of  cellulose  or 
woody  fiber  contained  in  them,  which  greatly  exceeds  that 
present  in  the  majority  of  other  foods.  This  tough,  horny 
substance  prevents  the  action  of  the  intestinal  fluids  upon  the 
food,  and  thus  there  is  lost  not  only  a  portion  of  the  albumin, 
but  also  of  the  carbohydrate  material, — although  not  so  much 
of  the  latter  as  of  the  albumin.  The  carbohydrate  content  of 
leguminous  vegetables  is  quite  considerable,  and  in  some,  as 
in  the  soy  bean,  to  which  we  shall  refer  at  greater  length 
in  an  appendix  to  this  chapter,  there  is  also  a  large  proportion 
of  fat.  In  order  that  these  nutritive  elements  of  the  leguminous 
vegetables  should  be  assimilated  as  completely  as  possible,  the 
method  of  preparation  and  cooking  is,  however,  of  great 
importance.  In  the  first  place  they  must  be  cooked  in  soft 
water,  since  their  albumin,  which,  owing  to  its  great  similarity 
to  casein,  has  been  called  vegetable  casein  or  legumin,  forms 
together  with  the  lime,  when  cooked  in  hard  water,  as  stated 
by  P.  F.  Richter,  an  insoluble  combination  which  is  but  poorly 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    203 

assimilated.  By  the  addition  of  a  little  bicarbo'nate  of  sodium 
to  the  water,  this,  however,  can  be  avoided.  According  to  P. 
F.  Richter,  10.16  per  cent,  of  the  nitrogen  and  19  per  cent,  of 
the  nutrient  salts  are  not  assimilated  from  peas  which  have 
been  boiled  in  soft  water ;  from  those  cooked  in  hard  water  the 
nitrogen  loss  amounts  to  16.60  per  cent,  and  that  of  the 
nutrient  salts  to  42.22  per  cent. 

The  most  advantageous  mode  of  preparing  leguminous 
vegetables  is  in  the  form  of  a  puree,  as  by  this  method  the 
greater  part  of  the  cellulose  which  interferes  with  digestion  and 
assimilation  is  removed.  The  high  albumin  content  of  these 
vegetables  is  best  utilized  if,  after  the  husks  have  been  removed, 
the  rest  is  ground  to  a  fine  powder  and  then  mixed  with  some 
other  flour  less  rich  in  albumin,  e.g.,  rye  flour.  From  this  a 
bread  is  made  which  is  much  richer  in  albumin  than  that  made 
from  ordinary  flour,  and  which  well  deserves  the  name  of 
"Kraftbrot"  (strength  bread).  The  most  nutritive  of  these 
breads  is  undoubtedly  the  soy  bread,  on  account  of  the  higher 
percentage  of  fat  and,  especially,  the  exceptionally  large  amount 
of  albumin  it  contains. 

After  the  foregoing  introductory  remarks  concerning  the 
value  of  leguminous  vegetables,  we  shall  now  present  an  analysis 
of  the  varieties  most  used  when  in  a  ripe,  full-grown  condition ; 
fresh,  green  vegetables  will  be  further  referred  tO'  in  a  succeed- 
ing chapter.  In  addition  to  the  percentages  of  the  various 
nutritive  elements,  which  we  quote  from  Konig,^  we  shall  also 
indicate  what  proportion  of  these  substances  is  assimilated : — 


1  Konig,  ii,  p.  1488. 


204 


Health  Tlirou<:h  Rational  Diet. 


Proportion  of  Substances  Assimilated. 


Legruminous  vegetables. 

lit 
2SS 

1 
88 

II 

m 

2 

IE 

6S. 

§1 

i'U 

1j 

lis 

31 

Peas 

21.35 
25.94 
23.66 
25.68 

1.88 
1.93 
1.96 
1.68 

52.65 
52.84 
55.60 
47.29 

5.56 
3.92 
3.89 
8.25 

16.98 
18.16 
16.56 

0.60 
0.58 
0.59 

45.85 
44.65 
46.98 

27.16 

Lentils 

27.18 

Garden  beans 

Field  beans 

27.39 

In  addition  to  this  exceedingly  rich  and  valuable  nutritive 
content  of  the  leguminous  vegetables,  there  are  also  present  in 
them  quite  considerable  amounts  of  important  nutritive  salts — 
above  all,  a  great  deal  of  potash  and  phosphorus,  and,  in  com- 
parison with  other  vegetables,  also  much  lime.  Of  the  latter 
they  contain  more  than  the  cereals  and  many  other  vegetable 
products. 

The  nutritive  salt  content  of  the  vegetables  already 
referred  to  is,  according  to  Konig,^  as  follows : — 


Nutritive 

Salt  Content  of  the  Pri 

NCIPAL 

Legumes. 

a 

-a  u 
5£ 

i 

II 

btZ. 

1^ 

a 
2 

u 

1^ 

ii 

IS 

Peas   

41.89 
34.76 
44.01 
41.48 

0.96 

13.50 

1.49 

1.06 

4.99 
6.34 
6.38 
4.99 

7.96 
2.47 
7.62 
7.15 

0.86 
2.00 
0.32 
0.46 

36.43 
36.30 
35.52 
38.86 

3.49 

4.' is 

3.39 

0.86 

6. "57 

0.65 

1.59 

Lentils 

Garden  beans 
Field  beans.. 

4.69 
0.86 
1.78 

We  find  in  the  above  a  pretty  high  content  of  phosphorus 
— although  the  cereals  contain  more  of  it — and  of  phosphoric 
acid,  which  manifests  itself  in  the  acid  condition  of  the  urine; 
the  leguminous  vegetables  therefore  share  this  property  with 
meat ;  this  applies  also  to  their  considerable  nitrogen  content. 


1  Konig,  ii,  p.  784. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    205 

The  sulphur  contained  in  certain  leguminous  vegetables,  such 
as  beans,  is  responsible  for  the  flatulency  caused  by  them.  It 
is  also  important  to  note  that  these  vegetables  contain  much 
lecithin — i  per  cent.  As  far  as  the  digestibility  is  concerned, 
we  see  from  the  above  table  that  the  albumin  contained  in  peas 
is  best  assimilated.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  peas  are  eaten 
without  their  shells.  Green  peas  are  best  digested  and  assimi- 
lated, as  we  shall  show  elsewhere.  They  are  also  most  fre- 
quently used,  for  when  peas  are  quite  ripe  and  old  they  are 
very  hard  to  digest  and  assimilate,  but  are  nevertheless  better 
in  this  respect  than  beans  or  lentils  under  similar  conditions. 
According  to  Rubner,  when  large  cjuantities  of  peas  are  eaten, 
14.5  per  cent,  of  the  dry  substance,  27.8  per  cent,  of  the 
nitrogen,  75  per  cent,  of  the  fat,  6.9  per  cent,  of  carbohydrate, 
and  the  large  amount  of  3.5  per  cent,  of  the  nutrient  salts  are 
eliminated  unused.  Peas  are  much  better  assimilated  when 
taken  in  small  quantities,  when  only  17.5  per  cent,  of  the 
nitrogen  is  lost.  The  best  assimilation  takes  place  when  peas 
are  eaten  in  the  fonn  of  a  puree;  in  this  way  they  are  assimi- 
lated about  as  are  fine  wheat  flour  and  macaroni. 

We  have  already  mentioned  that  leguminous  vegetables 
contain  considerable  lecithin — more  than  the  cereals.  Peas 
contain  1.05  per  cent.;  other  substances  found  in  peas,  namely, 
the  pur  in  bases,  have,  however,  an  injurious  action,  since  they 
increase  the  formation  of  uric  acid.  According  to  Walter 
Hall  and  the  latest  experiments  of  Bessau  and  Schmidt,  they 
contain  quite  considerable  amounts  of  these  substances,  but, 
nevertheless,  not  so  much  as  do  lentils ;  peas  contain  0.018  gram 
in  100  grams,  while  the  lentils,  which,  among  the  legumes, 
have  the  greatest  quantity  of  purin,  contain  5  eg.  in  100  grams. 

The  best  way  to  eat  full-grown  peas  is  in  a.  puree,  and 
they  are  usually  prepared  in  this  manner.  In  some  countries, 
as  in  Spain,  for  instance,  large  dried  peas,  of  a  variety  common 
in  that  country,  are  a  universal  and  greatly  liked  food,  and 


206  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

these  "Garbanzos"  form,  as  I  have  seen,  a  daily  addition  to 
the  diet,  both  there  and  in  Mexico.  They  may,  in  a  measure, 
be  responsible  for  the  obesity  which  so  frequently  affects  the 
women  of  these  countries.  The  puree  form  is  decidedly  pref- 
erable, but  it  has  the  disadvantage  of  being  merely  swallowed, 
with  but  little,  if  any,  mastication.  With  such  a  puree  some- 
thing hard  should  be  eaten,  as,  for  instance,  a  piece  of  rye 
bread ;  in  this  way  it  would  require  mastication  and  would  then 
be  better  digested. 

Puree  of  peas  is  rendered  very  nourishing  when  bacon  or 
sausage  is  taken  with  it.  This  food  is  often  given  tO'  the 
German  soldier,  who  thus  receives  a  truly  nourishing  diet,  con- 
taining all  three  of  the  main  groups  of  our  foods,  and  for  a 
soldiers'  stomach  it  is  not  very  hard  to  digest.  Some  people 
declare  that  the  German  army  has  accomplished  its  able  work 
not  only  because  of  the  efficient  German  instructors,  but  also 
because  of  the  "Erbstwurst"  (pea  sausage),  and  it  is  certainly 
true  that  a  sufficiently  rich  and  complete  food,  such  as  this 
sausage,  plays  an  important  role — in  reality  much  more  impor- 
tant than  is  generally  believed — in  making  an  army  capable  of 
marching  and  of  successful  action.  In  pea  sausage  there  is 
not  very  much  meat,  but  the  carbohydrates,  vegetable  albumin, 
and  fat  are  all  well  represented. 

Lentils  are  also  a  valuable  food.  Since,  however,  accord- 
ing to  Striimpel,  they  are  but  poorly  assimilated  after  having 
been  soaked  and  then  cooked, — nearly  40  per  cent.,  thus  pretty 
nearly  the  half,  of  the  albumin  content  being  lost, — they,  too, 
are  best  taken  in  the  form  of  puree.  They  are  then  well 
assimilated,  as  was  found  by  Striimpel,  and  only  9  per  cent,  is 
lost.  I  also  observed  that  when  boiled  lentils  were  eaten  in 
considerable  quantities  the  undigested  skins  were  present  in 
the  stools. 

That  which  makes  lentils  so  nourishing  is  the  rather  large 
proportion   of   iron   contained   in   them,   particularly   in   the 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     207 

Egyptian  lentils,  which  are  the  best  variety.  It  is  not  only 
among  leguminous  vegetables,  but  among  other  foods  as  well, 
that  lentils  occupy  a  first  position  in  regard  to  the  iron  content. 
When  finely  ground,  they  form  a  most  valuable  food,  the 
"Revalenta  arabica,"  which,  as  stated  by  Hutchison,  contains 
22  per  cent,  of  easily  digested  and  assimilated  albumin,  1.5  per 
cent,  of  fat,  and  65.2  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates.  Owing  to 
their  limited  sulphur  content,  lentils  cause  but  little  flatulence, 
and  in  the  form  of  puree  are  really  a  food  deserving  of  much 
more  attention  than  is  at  present  accorded  to  it.  That  lentils 
are  so  neglected  as  never  to  be  included  in  the  bill  of  fare  in 
the  best  restaurants,  notwithstanding  their  agreeable  taste,  is 
one  of  the  incomprehensible  anomalies  too  often  met  with  in 
the  present-day  scheme  of  nourishnient. 

Another  leguminous  vegetable,  the  bean,  almost  as  health- 
ful as  the  lentil,  is,  on  the  contrary,  very  much  used.  Probably 
in  no  country  in  the  world  are  beans  more  used  than  in  the 
United  States,  as  in  the  form  of  "Boston  baked  beans."  One 
finds  them  in  all  the  restaurants  and  buffet  cars  in  the  Union 
cooked  with  bacon,  as  "pork  and  beans."  The  experiments  of 
Praussnitz  show  that  the  ripe  white  beans  are  poorly  assimi- 
lated, even  more  so  than  other  legumes,  and  this  not  only  as 
regards  the  albumin,  but  the  carbohydrates  as  well,  of  which 
17.5  per  cent,  are  unused.  Beans,  too,  are  better  digested  in 
the  puree  form.  A  thick  bean  puree  soup  tastes  very  good  and 
is  easily  digested.  Whole  beans  as  well  as  lentils  often  pass 
through  the  intestinal  canal  undigested  (Praussnitz).  Beans 
as  an  article  of  diet  have  the  great  disadvantage  of  causing 
decided  flatulency ;  there  is  hardly  any  other  food  either  among 
the  legumes  or  other  varieties  of  food  which  causes  this  to 
such  a  marked  degree.  It  is  probably  due  to  the  large  amount 
of  cellulose  and  of  sulphur  contained  in  them.  In  fact,  the 
disadvantage  of  inducing  flatulency  to  a  greater  or  less  degree 
is  common  to  all  leguminous  vegetables,  and  they  have  the 


208  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

additional  drawback  of  causing  acid  eructations,  to  a  much 
greater  extent  than  many  other  foods,  in  persons  who  are 
predisposed  to  this  condition;  this  is  especially  the  case  in 
nervous  affections.  Since  they  impose  more  work  upon  both 
the  stomach  and  intestines,  also  causing  more  flatulency,  than 
the  majority  of  foods,  leguminous  vegetables  should  be  strictly 
forbidden  in  stomach  and  intestinal  diseases  as  well  as  in 
arteriosclerosis.  Neither  should  they  be  allowed  for  persons 
suffering  from  gout,  since  they  contain  a  considerable  amount 
of  purin  bases,  which  favor  the  formation  of  uric  acid ;  lentils 
contain  the  most,  peas  come  next,  and  lastly  beans.  Persons 
who  fear  to  grow  stout  should  eat  but  little  of  the  leguminous 
vegetables,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  diabetics.  For  the 
latter  it  is  best,  according  to  my  experiments  lately  cited,  to 
eat  these  leguminous  vegetables  whole,  that  is  tO'  say,  with 
their  skins,  since  they  are  not  so  well  assimilated  in  this  way, 
and  consequently  do  not  greatly  increase  the  sugar  secretion  in 
mild  cases  of  diabetes.  These  vegetables  should  form  the 
principal  portion  of  a  vegetarian  diet,  as  they  alone  contain 
albumin,  that  important  nutrient,  in  appreciable  quantities. 
For  healthy  persons  the  leguminous  vegetables  form  the  best 
vegetable  diet. 

Addendum.     Special  Advantages  of  the  Soy  Bean. 

This  vegetable,  which  grows  in  China,  principally  in  the 
province  of  Manchuria,  is  really  a  curiosity  among  vegetable 
foods ;  and  since  it  is  so  very  rich  in  various  component  parts 
of  the  main  food  groups,  we  are  probably  not  going  too  far  in 
calling  it  the  most  valuable  plant  we  know  of.  Leguminous 
vegetables  and  cereals  are  rich  in  albumin  and  carbohydrates, 
but  the  soy  bean  not  only  contains  these  substances,  but  also 
another  most  valuable  foodstuff,  in  which  it  far  exceeds  both 
the  leguminous  vegetables  and  cereals,  namely,  a  large  amount 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    209 

of  fat.  The  albumin  content  of  the  soy  bean  is  from  27  to  33 
per  cent.,  the  carbohydrates  amount  to  between  10  to  35  per 
cent,,  and  the  fat  content  from  17  to  22  per  cent.  This  is 
indeed  a  combination  scarcely  to  be  found  in  any  other  plant, 
and  the  nutritive  value  in  the  completeness  of  its  composition 
surpasses  the  most  valuable  animal  foods.  Since  it  contains 
all  three  of  our  principal  food  groups,  it  plays  much  the  same 
role  as  milk,  while  exceeding  the  latter  in  its  wealth  of  nutri- 
tive substances.  However,  the  soy  bean  offers  the  objection 
that  when  eaten  whole  nearly  5  per  cent,  is  lost  in  the  intes- 
tines, owing  to  the  cellulose  which  it  contains.  This  objection 
is  done  away  with  when  it  is  eaten  in  puree  form,  or  as  a 
fine  flour.  Its  great  value  in  nutritive  substances — fat,  in  par- 
ticular— as  compared  to  the  flour  made  from  other  vegetables 
will  be  seen  in  the  following  table :  Nutritive  value  of  various 
flours  made  from  vegetables^ : — 

Natural  Substance. 


Nitrogen 
content. 
Per  cent. 


Fat. 
Per  cent. 


Carbohy- 
drates. 
Per  cent. 


Raw  fibers. 
Per  cent. 


Bean  flour 

Pea  flour 

Lentil  flour. . . 
Soy-bean  flour 


23.23 
25.72 
25.71 
75.69 


1.19 

l.;8 

1.86 

18.83 


59.92 
57.18 
56.79 


1.78 
1.26 


On  the  other  hand,  the  soy-bean  flour  is  much  poorer  in 
carbohydrates,  according  to  an  analysis  in  the  Laboratoire 
Municipal  of  Paris:  16.32  per  cent.  Owing  to  this  property, 
von  Noorden  and  Lampe  manufactured  a  food  for  diabetics 
from  the  soy  bean,  called  sarton,  which,  while  containing  very 
little  carbohydrate,  has  a  large  amount  of  albumin.  According 
to  an  analysis  by  Lecerf,^  soy-bean  flour  only  contains  2.794 


1  After  Konig,  ii,  p.  815. 

2  After  Gautier. 


210  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

per  cent,  of  starchy  substance.  Another  advantage  of  the  soy 
bean  is  its  large  amount  of  phosphorus  and  lecithin.  Of  the 
valuable  lecithin,  it  contains  1.64  per  cent.,^  a  quantity  which 
is  not  reached  by  any  other  plant,  with  the  exception  of  the 
lupines. 

All  leguminous  vegetables  are  rich  in  lecithin,  especially 
lentils,  but  in  this  respect  the  palm  must  be  accorded  to  the  soy 
bean.  It  likewise  exceeds  the  other  leguminous  vegetables  and 
many  other  plants  as  well  in  its  phosphorus  content.  As  I  see 
in  the  recently  published  "Dissertation  on  the  Phosphorus 
Content  of  Various  Indian  Foods,"  by  Jebbink,^  the  Dutch 
East  Indian  "Katjang  Kedelen,"  a  variety  of  soy  bean,  con- 
tains 1. 19  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid. 

This  wonderful  vegetable,  in  addition  to  its  valuable  con- 
tents, has  the  further  advantage  that  it  can  be  used  in  so  many 
useful  foods.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  flour  made  from 
the  soy  bean.  From  this,  when  mixed  with  white  flour  or  any 
other  desired  sort,  a  bread  can  be  made  with  such  a  high 
albumin  content  as  is  hardly  otherwise  possible ;  biscuits  can 
also  be  made  from  the  soy-bean  flour  which  are  very  valuable 
for  diabetics,  because  of  the  low  carbohydrate  content.  The 
products  made  with  this  flour  have  an  agreeable  taste,  some- 
what resembling  that  of  the  chestnut.  A  kind  of  milk  can  also 
be  extracted  from  soy  beans,  if  they  are  allowed  to  lie  in  water 
for  several  hours  and  are  then  mashed  or  pressed  out.  And 
just  as  with  any  other  milk,  a  cheese  can  be  made  which  is 
very  nourishing.  Through  fermentative  action  valuable  nutri- 
tive products  can  be  made  from  the  bean :  the  To-fu  cheese  is 
most  nutritious,  and  a  sauce,  "soy  sauce,"  is  also  made  from 
it,  which  looks  exactly  like  meat  extract,  and,  in  my  opinion, 
also  tastes  much  like  it.  I  found  it  a  pleasant  addition  to  other 
viands,  and  it  is  no  doubt  free  from  the  injurious  effects  of  the 

1  Konig,  ii,  p.  87. 

2  Jebbink :  Loc.  cit.,  p.  83. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  J\nioits  Food  Sitbslaiiccs,     211 

genuine  meat  extract.  An  oil  can  also'  be  made  from  the  soy 
bean,  and  in  Manchuria  one  sees  in  all  the  cities  and  many 
smaller  towns  such  oil  mills.  They  are,  to  be  sure,  of  rather 
primitive  construction,  but  serve  to  provide  the  Chinese  of  these 
regions  with  the  fat  so  much  in  demand.  A  substance  re- 
sembling butter,  a  thick  cream,  can  be  made  from  this 
wonderful  bean ;  it  tastes  much  like  "Maroni  creme."  And 
lastly  I  must  not  forget  to  mention  that  when  the  beans  are 
allowed  to  sprout  under  glass  the  sprouts  do  good  service  as  a 
green  vegetable.  I  tried  to  eat  these  sprouts  raw,  and  found 
them  quite  palatable.  I  might  also  mention  that  a  kind  of 
macaroni  is  made  from  the  soy  bean,  and  Wein^  states  that  a 
very  good  tasting  soup  can  be  made  with  these  beans  together 
with  peas.  They  may  also  be  cooked  together  with  other 
vegetables,  as  potatoes  and  rice.  A  puree  on  the  order  of  the 
Italian  "polenta"  can  likewise  be  made.  When  the  whole 
beans  are  eaten  they  are  poorly  assimilated,  and,  according  to 
Osawa,  37.4  per  cent,  of  the  albumin  is  lost,  while  when  eaten 
in  the  form  of  To-fu  only  3.9  per  cent,  is  lost. 

It  would  certainly  be  well  to  transplant  these  wonderful 
beans  into  Europe;  they  much  resemble  our  beans,  but  are 
somewhat  more  round.  There  are  yellow,  green,  black,  and 
several  other  varieties.  Attempts  were  made  in  France  to 
plant  this  bean,  but  unfortunately  when  it  becomes  acclimatized 
in  Europe  it  has  a  tendency  to  graft  itself  upon  our  native  bean, 
and  thereby  loses  its  own  properties.  This  might  perhaps,  in 
my  opinion,  be  obviated  by  proper  fertilization,  for,  while  in 
Chinese  soil  the  nutritive  content  of  these  beans  is  much 
greater,  the  cause  probably  lies  in  the  fact  that  this  soil,  as  has 
been  shown  by  examinations  recently  made  at  Erfurt,  is  much 
richer  in  nutritive  substances  and  salts — particularly  phos- 
phorus— than  ours.     It  would  therefore  be  necessary  to  ferti- 


1  After  Konig. 


212 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


lize    according    to    the    composition    of    this    plant,    with    a 
considerable  amount  of  nitrogen  and  phosphates. 


(h)  Cereals. 
I,  The  Various  Cereals. 

If  we  class  these  fruits  of  the  earth,  to  which  we  owe 
our  daily  bread,  after  the  leguminous  vegetables,  it  is  because 
we  wish  to  give  the  preference  to  those  plants  which  furnish 
us  with  the  greatest  amount  of  the  most  nourishing  substance, 
namely,  albumin.  This  occurs  in  smaller  quantities  in  the 
cereals.  They,  on  the  other  hand,  furnish  a  nutritive  element, 
the  carbohydrate,  which  is  only  second  in  importance  to 
albumin.  Rice,  for  instance,  contains  more  of  the  carbohy- 
drates than  any  other  food.  The  nutritive  value  of  the  cereals 
is  consequently  characterized  by  a  large  amount  of  carbohy- 
drates and  a  fair  quantity  of  albumin;  the  latter  occurs  prin- 
cipally in  wheat  and  oats.  The  third  important  component  of 
our  food,  fat,  is  very  poorly  represented  in  them,  and  least  of 
all  in  rice;  corn  and  oats  considerably  more.  The  cereals  are 
also  rich  in  some  of  our  most  important  nutritive  salts,  namely, 
phosphorus.  Since  we  have  previously  given  the  quantities  of 
the  most  important  nutrient  salts  contained  in  each  of  the 
cereals,  we  shall  now  first  give  the  chemical  composition  of  the 
foodstuffs  according  to  Robert  Hutchison : — 


Cereal  varieties. 

Nitrogen 
content. 
Per  cent. 

Fat. 
Percent. 

Carbohy. 

drate. 
Percent. 

Cellulose. 
Per  cent. 

Wheat 

11.0 
10.9 
10.1 
10.2 
9.7 
0.9 
10.4 
10.22 

1.7 

4.5 
1.9 
2.3 
9.7 
0.4 
3.9 
2.2 

71.2 
59.1 
68.6 
69.5 
72.3 
76.8 
68.3 
61.3 

2.2 

Oats 

12.0 

Barley 

3.8 

Rye 

2.1 

Corn 

2.0 

Rice,  polished 

Millet 

0.4 
2.9 

Buckwheat 

11.1 

Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    213 

It  is  unfortunately  the  case  that  in  the  majority  of  these 
cereals  ipuch  of  the  nutritive  substance  is  lost  to  our  bodies — 
that  is  to  say,  it  is  not  taken  up  by  the  blood — before  it  can  be 
freed  from  the  outer  indigestible  portions.  In  this  way  not 
only  a  large  amount  of  the  nutritive  albumin  is  not  assimilated, 
but  many  nutrient  salts,  such  as  phosphorus,  lime,  and  iron, 
are  also  lost. 

The  finer  the  flour  is  ground,  especially  wheat  flour,  the 
more  of  the  nutritive  substances  are  lost.  Some  cereals,  such 
as  millet,  barley,  and  buckwheat,  are  very  poorly  assimilated 
by  us,  and  consequently  flour  made  from  tliem  is  not  much  used 
in  our  country.  We  here  show,  according  to  Konig,^  the  com- 
position of  various  kinds  of  flour: — 


Protelds. 

Fat. 

Carbohy. 

drate. 
Per  cent. 

Cellulose. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Percent. 

10.68 

1.13 

74.69 

0.30 

9.62 

1.44 

73.84 

1.35 

13.87 

6.18 

67.06 

1.71 

9.62 

3.14 

71.70 

1.41 

12.29 

2.44 

69.47 

0.89 

8.28 

1.49 

74.58 

0.70 

Ash. 
Per  cent. 


Fine  wheat  flour 

Rye  flour 

Oat  flour 

Corn  meal 

Barley  flour 

Buckwheat  flour 


0.52 
1.17 
2.07 
1.14 
1.85 
1.11 


Of  these  various  flours,  wheat  flour  is  most  useed.  A  very 
fine  quality  of  wheat  flour  comes  from  Hungary  (especially 
from  Banat)  and  the  southern  part  of  Russia.  The  very  finest 
and  best  wheat  is,  however,  grown  in  Canada,  where,  in  the 
province  of  Quebec,  I  saw  an  almost  unbelievable  development 
of  the  ears  and  grains  in  corn  and  other  cereals.  The  province 
of  Manitoba  furnishes  a  still  finer  quality.  In  this  virgin  soil, 
until  recently  entirely  uncultivated,  which  still  contains  all  of 
the  nutritive  salts,  wheat  is  grown  such  as  is  found  nowhere 
else.  The  value  of  wheat  is  determined  principally  by  its 
albumin  content,  that  is  to  say,  the  gluten ;  in  this  respect  the 
Hungarian  wheat  is  the  finest,  and  I  have  never  tasted  better 


1  Konig,  i,  p.  625. 


214  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


wheat  bread  than  in  Hungary,  and  perhaps  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  United  States,  in  Minneapohs,  where  there  are 
steam  flour  mills  on  the  order  of  those  in  Hungary.  It  is  not 
the  fact  of  its  being  so  finely  ground  which  makes  the  Hun- 
garian meal  so  agreeable  to  the  taste,  but  rather  its  rich  content 
of  gluten,  salts,  and  other  elements  of  taste. 

According  to  Rubner,^  the  percentage  of  nutritive  salts  in 
the  dry  substance  of  wheat  is  as  follows : — 

Phosphoric 
Potash.  Soda.  Lime.         Magnesia.    Iron  oxide.         acid.        Chlorine. 

0.62  0.06  0.065  0.24  0.026  0.94  — 

Thus,  considerable  amounts  of  certain  salts,  especially 
phosphorus  and  lime,  are  found  in  wheat,  but  unfortunately 
they  occur  principally  in  the  outer  portion  of  the  grain,  which 
also  contains  the  greater  part  of  the  glutinous  substance, — the 
starchy  substance  is  contained  in  the  inner  portion, — and  in  the 
finer  qualities  of  flour  the  outer  portion  of  the  grain  is  lost. 
The  more  gluten  there  is  in  wheat  flour,  the  greater  its  lime  and 
phosphorus  content.  In  very  fine  flour  many  valuable  sub- 
stances— especially  albumin  and  nutrient  salts — are  lost  in  the 
bran.     According  to  Rubner,  lOO  parts  of 

Dry  wheat  flour  contains  : —  Wheat  bran  contams  : — 

11.6  per  cent,  albumin  13.9  per  cent,  albumin 
1.3  per  cent,  fat  3.1  per  cent,  fat 

86.4  per  cent,  starch  81.9  per  cent,  starch 

While  wheat  flour  thus  contains  an  appreciable  amount  of 
bran,  much  of  this  is  not  taken  up  by  the  blood,  but  is  eliminated 
unused.  Rubner  found  that  wheat  bread  is  very  poorly  ab- 
sorbed, and  that  much  more  albumin  and  carbohydrate  are  lost 
when  much  of  the  bran  is  ground  in  with  the  flour.  Fortu- 
nately not  all  of  the  bran  content  is  lost,  as  61.3  per  cent,  of 
albumin  and  26.5  per  cent,  of  carbohydrate  and  cellulose  are 
nevertheless  absoi-bed.    It  is  of  great  importance  that  the  bran 


Rubner :  "Lehrbuch  der  Hygiene,"  8th  edition,  p.  465. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  I'ood  Substances.     215 

be  finely  milled,  and  that  the  stomach  and  intestines  be  in  good 
condition. 

Rubner's  statement,  that  the  German  people  would  gain  a 
yearly  profit  of  780  million  of  marks  if  bran  could  be  as  well 
assimilated  by  our  bodies  as  flour,  is  most  interesting. 

He  estimates  that  in  the  very  best  mills  20  per  cent,  is  lost 
as  bran.  If  it  were  possible  to  grind  this  bran  finer  than  it  is 
now  done,  it  could  be  better  absorbed,  and  would  be  of  great 
value  to  mankind.  With  wheat  flour  it  is  therefore  of  primary 
importance  that  it  be  finely  ground,  and  fine  bread  is  much 
better  assimilated  in  general  than  the  coarser  varieties.  The 
coarser  flour  would,  however,  be  better  assimilated  if  milk,  or, 
still  better,  cheese,  were  to  be  taken  with  the  bread. 

Rye  flour,  when  it  contains  the  bran,  is  very  badly  assimi- 
lated, according  to  Romney,  however  finely  it  may  be  ground. 
Rubner  states  that  bread  made  from  fine  rye  meal  is  assimilated 
about  as  very  coarse  white  bread  would  be.  The  nutrient  sub- 
stances in  the  outer  covering  of  corn  are  not  only  very  poorly 
assimilated,  but,  by  irritating  the  intestinal  canal,  they  also 
cause  a  too  early  elimination  of  other  useful  substances,  before 
they  can  be  absorbed  by  the  intestine.  Coarsely  ground  com, 
owing  to  the  cellulose  it  contains,  has  a  very  irritating  effect 
upon  the  intestinal  mucous  membrane,  which  might  be  an  ad- 
vantage in  cases  of  constipation ;  in  healthy  persons,  however, 
the  use  of  much  corn  bread  would  cause  too  frequent  bowel 
movements,  and  interfere  with  the  assimilation  of  the  food. 
Rye  flour  is  best  suited  for  strong  constitutions,  and  by  the 
sturdy  northern  races  it  is  more  used  than  wheat  flour.  While 
wheat  is  principally  used  for  the  finer  varieties  of  breadstuffs 
consumed  by  the  rich,  rye  flour  forms  the  food  of  the  poorer 
population.  It  is  not  deficient  in  nutrient  salts  such  as  iron  and 
lime.  Unfortunately  the  assimilation  of  the  salts  and  other 
nutritive  substances  is  very  defective,  according  to  Rubner, 
who  states  that  in  whole-corn  bread  only  one-half  of  the  nutri- 
tive value  is  absorbed. 


216 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


Oats,  which  are  used  in  the  north,  principally  in  Scotland, 
and  which  contain  more  cellulose  than  any  other  cereal,  are 
even  more  poorly  assimilated.  When  oats  are  to  be  used,  it  is 
best  to  eat  the  products  manufactured  especially  with  a  view 
to  the  digestibility,  like  oat  flakes,  Quaker  oats,  etc. ;  in  these 
by  the  action  of  heat  the  very  indigestible  cellulose  husk  or 
outer  skin  is  burst  open,  and  the  starchy  content  is  converted 
into  a  soluble  and  more  digestible  product.  Oats  in  the  form 
of  gruel  (like  the  porridge  of  Scotland)  are  very  palatable 
when  eaten  with  cream,  and  certainly  I  have  never  eaten  better 
porridge  than  that  served  to  me  in  Edinburgh,  where  I  also 
acquired  a  taste  for  zwieback  made  from  oats  (oat  cakes).  Of 
course,  I  experienced  the  disadvantage  that  when  porridge 
was  swallowed  too  quickly — and  was  consequently  not  masti- 
cated— digestion  and  assimilation  suffered.  With  oat  cakes 
this  difficulty  is  obviated,  as  they,  like  other  oat  breads,  require 
considerable  mastication. 

In  my  estimation  a  puree  of  oatmeal  with  two  yolks  forma 
a  very  healthful  food,  in  which  the  eggs  not  only  greatly 
improve  the  taste,  but  also  increase  the  nutritive  value.  Very 
valuable  preparations  for  children's  use  can  be  made  with  oat- 
meal, which  render  good  service  when  taken  with  milk.  In  my 
practice  in  Carlsbad  I  obtained  excellent  results  with  oat  flakes 
and  oat  gruel.  The  composition  of  both,  according  to  Konig, 
is  as  follows : — 


Proteids. 
Percent. 

Fat. 
Per  cent. 

Sugar. 
Per  cent. 

Carbohydrate. 
Per  cent. 

13.44 
14.42 

about  6 
6.78 

2.16 
1.40 

61.72 

Oat  flakes 

62.58 

As  by  their  use  the  irritating  action  of  the  cellulose  is 
avoided,  they  form  valuable  foods,  since,  as  can  be  seen  in  the 
above  table,  they  contain  a  considerable  amount  of  albumin 
and  fat.    Oatmeal  is  likewise  not  lacking  in  nutrient  salts,  as  it 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    217 

contains,  according  to  Konig,  7.92  per  cent,  lime,  0.85  per  cent, 
iron  oxide,  48.19  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid,  1.95  per  cent, 
silicic  acid,  and  5.93  per  cent,  chlorine. 

Oats  (whole)  contain,  as  stated  by  Konig,^  the  following 
percentage  of  nutrient  salts  : — 

Phosphoric 
Potash.  Soda.  Lime.         Iron  oxide.       acid.  Silicic  acid.    Chlorine. 

17.90  —  3.60  1.18  25.64  30.18  0.94 

The  considerable  lecithin  content  of  oats  is  also  note- 
worthy. Topler  found  that  11.90  per  cent,  of  lecithin  is  con- 
tained in  oat  fat.  We  thus  see  what  a  valuable  food  oats 
furnish,  particularly  when  taken  with  milk,  in  which  manner 
they  are  better  assimilated.  Oats  should  be  much  more  fre- 
quently used,  especially  in  the  form  of  oatmeal  and  oat  gruel, 
than  has  been  customary.  Not  only  the  horse,  but  man  also, 
would  thrive  upon  it.  A  very  valuable  statement  is  that  of 
von  Noorden,  that  diabetics  can  take  considerable  quantities 
of  oat  foods  in  combination  with  other  vegetables  without 
causing  any  increase  in  the  sugar  secretion;  it  is,  on  the  con- 
trary, often  diminished,  as  is  also  the  case  in  acetonuria. 

Another  very  little  used  variety  of  cereal — barley — might 
be  rendered  very  valuable  for  us,  if  specially  prepared  by  heat 
in  the  form  of  barley  flakes.  In  Sweden  barley  is  often  made 
into  bread.  It  is,  however,  very  indigestible  when  whole  barley 
is  ground,  as  was  found  by  Osawa,  for  of  the  albumin  content 
56  per  cent,  was  eliminated  unused,  this  being  the  case  even 
with  barley  that  had  been  ground  and  cooked.  With  us  it  is 
principally  used  in  soup,  as  barley  cream,  gruel,  etc.  Barley 
water  has  long  been  used  as  a  cooling  drink  in  fevers.  Barley 
plays  its  principal  role  with  us  when  used  in  coloring  beer. 
The  American  variety  has  more  sugar  and  less  dextrin,  and  the 
German  less  sugar  and  half  as  much  again  of  dextrin.  The 
ash  of  the  dry  substance  contains  the  following  nutritive  salts, 
as  stated  by  Konig : — 
1  Konig,  ii,  p.  773. 


218  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Iron     Phosphoric  Sulphuric 

Potash.      Soda.       Lime.    Magrnesia.     oxide.         acid.    Silicic  acid.   acid.     Chlorine. 
Perct.      Perot.      Perct.       Perot.       Perot        Perot.      Perot.     Perct.        Perot, 
21         2.39         2.64         8.83         1.19         33.10         26         1.80         1.02 

Buckwheat  is  also  very  little  used  with  us  (in  Austria)  ; 
its  large  amount  of  cellulose  makes  it  very  indigestible,  and  it 
is  badly  assimilated.  It  could  be  made  a  valuable  food  if  pre- 
viously prepared  by  the  removal  of  the  cellulose,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  Knorr  buckwheat.  It  would  be  valuable  for  the  prep- 
aration of  bread  and  pastry  for  diabetics.  The  ash  contains 
appreciable  quantities  of  nutrient  salts,  1.74  per  cent,  iron 
oxide,  48.67  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid,  3.07  per  cent,  of  potash ; 
the  soda  content  is  comparatively  high,  6.12  per  cent.,  and  there 
is  also  1.30  per  cent,  of  common  salt.  Buckwheat  flour  is  of  a 
dark  color;  in  some  countries  it  is  used  for  making  bread.  In 
Styria  and  in  the  adjoining  portions  of  Hungary,  dumplings 
called  "Nocklen"  and  "Sterz"  are  made  from  a  mixture  of 
this  and  other  kinds  of  flour;  they  form  an  appetizing  article 
of  diet,  which  is  sometimes  also  used  in  intestinal  catarrh. 

The  cereal  least  used  in  our  country  is  millet;  it  is,  how- 
ever, the  national  food,  so  to  speak,  of  many  negro  tribes. 
Notwithstanding  the  considerable  amount  of  cellulose^ — accord- 
ing to  Konig,  12  to  18  per  cent. — it  is  not  unpleasant  as  a 
food ;  53  per  cent,  of  the  nitrogen  content  is  lost.  When  it  is 
taken  in  the  form  of  a  pap  or  gruel  with  milk  or  water,  with  a 
little  butter  or  even  lard  added,  I  have  found  that  it  tastes  quite 
good.  As  it  contains  valuable  nutritive  substances,  it  should 
find  greater  appreciation  among  our  poorer  classes  than  is  the 
case  at  present.  Its  deficient  assimilation  can  be  allowed  for 
by  taking  more  of  it.  Of  the  three  cereals,  barley,  buckwheat, 
and  millet,  buckwheat  is  best  assimilated. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    219 

2.  Concerning  Foods  made  zvith  Flour,  and  Noodles.  The 
Useful  Properties  of  Macaroni  and  of  Certain  Kinds  of 
Pancakes. 

The  principal  varieties  of  flour  above  mentioned,  and  par- 
ticularly fine  wheat  meal,  can  be  made  to  serve  as  very  useful 
foods  by  preparation  into  a  dough  with  the  addition  of  water, 
salt,  and  a  small  quantity  of  potato,  preferably  as  potato  flour. 
The  so-called  ''flour  foods"  so  much  used  in  Austria-Hungary, 
and  often  especially  well  prepared  in  private  houses  and  the 
best  hotels,  are  made  from  this  dough.  They  are  of  great 
nutritive  value  because  of  their  high  carbohydrate  content, 
which  is  still  further  increased  by  the  addition  of  butter  and 
other  fats.  To  be  sure,  these  "flour  foods"  are  sometimes 
rendered  quite  indigestible  by  the  additions  referred  to,  par- 
ticularly if  the  potatoes  have  not  been  properly  prepared 
beforehand.  The  further  addition  of  poppy  seeds,  nuts,  pre- 
serves, etc.,  may  make  them  still  more  indigestible.  The  most 
easily  digested  of  them  are  noodles,  which  are  made  from  such 
dough  rolled  into  thin  sheets  and  dried.  They  are  also  well 
absorbed  in  the  intestine,  and  their  assimilation  is  improved 
when  the  yolks  of  a  few  eggs  are  added  to  the  dough.  Maca- 
roni, which  is  rich  in  gluten,  is  also  well  assimilated.  Rubner 
found  that  when  macaroni  or  noodles  contained  only  a  limited 
quantity  of  albumin  17  per  cent,  thereof  remained  unused,  but 
that  in  those  rich  in  gluten  only  1 1  per  cent,  was  lost.  Maca- 
roni is  a  very  valuable  article  of  diet,  chiefly  because  it  is  very 
nutritious ;  it  is  especially  so  when  eggs  have  been  added,  which 
is  very  rarely  the  case  in  the  varieties  offered  for  sale. 
The  commercial  noodles,  poor  in  eggs,  the  so-called  "water 
noodles,"  contain,  according  to  Konig,^  10.88  per  cent,  nitro- 
gen, 0.62  per  cent,  fat,  1.36  per  cent,  sugar,  2.10  per  cent, 
dextrin,  y2  per  cent,  starch,  0.42  per  cent,  cellulose,  and  0.64 

1  Konig,  ii,  p.  343. 


220  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

per  cent,  ash,  together  with  0.261  per  cent,  total  phosphoric 
acid  and  0.0228  per  cent,  lecithin-phosphoric  acid.  The  nutri- 
tive quality  of  egg-noodles  prepared  at  home  is  much  greater. 
In  these,  when  at  least  4  eggs  have  been  used  to  the  kilo  of 
flour,  Konig  states  that  there  is  contained  nearly  4  per  cent, 
more  of  albumin,  which  thus  amounts  altogether  to  15.16  per 
cent. ;  more  total  phosphoric  acid,  0.392  per  cent.,  and  above 
all  more  lecithin,  0.12 12  per  cent. 

We  have  every  reason,  therefore,  to  accord  a  first  piace 
to  macaroni  as  a  nourishing  food,  for  even  the  ordinary  com- 
mercial varieties  represent  per  kilo  the  very  respectable  total 
of  3360  to  3600  calories,  so  that  if  an  adult  should  eat  ^  kilo 
of  macaroni  per  day  he  would  fare  very  well.  Nor  would  his 
nourishment  be  very  one-sided,  for  it  would  contain  albumin 
and  carbohydrates ;  it  would  only  be  somewhat  lacking  in  fat. 
Combination  with  it  of  some  grated  cheese,  such  as  Parmesan, 
would  furnish  some  albumin  and  fat,  and  would  also  aid  in  its 
assimilation.  We  can  thus  understand  how  it  is  possible  for 
the  poorer  classes  among  the  Neapolitans  to  live  chiefly  upon 
such  a  diet,  just  as  the  Eastern  Asiatics  live  upon  rice.  Even 
though  they  may,  as  I  have  myself  seen,  share  their  living 
room  with  a  chicken,  turkey,  or  even  a  pig,  the  meat  of  this 
much-beloved  family  companion  is  only  eaten  at  Christmas, 
and  during  the  rest  of  the  time  they  are  enforced  macaroni- 
eaters  and  vegetarians.  We  can  learn  much,  however,  from 
their  frugal  way  of  living,  and  would  do  well  to  imitate  them 
in  eating  macaroni.  The  Italian  macaroni  is,  to  be  sure,  of  the 
very  finest  when  made  in  the  best  factories,  but  a  very  good 
quality  is  also  made  in  this  country.  I  frequently  recommend 
macaroni  as  a  healthful  addition  to  the  midday  and  evening 
meals  of  my  patients  in  Carlsbad,  as  it  is  nutritious  and  easily 
digested,  and  does  not  impose  any  hard  work  upon  the  stomach 
and  intestines.  It  is  well  tolerated  and  assimilated.  Nor  does 
macaroni  contain  any  injurious  substances,  either  for  the  liver 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    221 

or  the  blood-vessels,  and  it  thus  forms  an  ideal  food  for  liver 
and  kidney  patients,  as  well  as  for  arteriosclerotics  and  gouty 
persons,  since  it  does  not  lead  to  the  formation  of  any  uric  acid, 
being  free  of  purin  bases.  It  should  also  be  added  that  maca- 
roni when  taken  in  considerable  quantities  antagonizes  intes- 
tinal putrefaction,  like  foods  rich  in  carbohydrates  in  general, 
as  has  been  shown  by  Combe.  As  a  component  part  of  a 
vegetable  diet  macaroni  is  thus  a  most  valuable  addition;  it  is 
really  to  be  wondered  at  that  such  valuable  vegetable  foodstuffs 
as  these — macaroni,  tapioca,  sago,  etc. — are  scarcely  ever  to  be 
found  on  the  bill  of  fare  of  most  vegetarian  restaurants,  in 
w'hicli  the  cheapness  of  the  foods  is  a  chief  consideration. 

As  a  breakfast  food,  another  variety  of  the  healthful 
"flour  foods,"  which  are  much  used  in  America,  would  be  ad- 
vantageous. "Grape-nuts,"  for  instance,  in  which  the  floury 
substance  has  been  dextrinized  by  roasting  and  thus  rendered 
digestible  and  easy  of  assimilation,  is  eaten  with  cream  and 
would  be  a  useful  addition  to  our  usual  very  sparing  breakfast. 
In  the  United  States,  this  or  some  other  product  of  wheat  or 
com  meal,  such  as  cream  of  wheat  or  hominy,  is  regularly  taken 
at  breakfast.  IMuch  more  palatable,  however,  are  the  almost 
universally  used  flat  pancakes,  or  "hot  cakes."  They  are  made 
of  corn  meal  or  buckwheat  flour,  and  are  piled  up  one  over  the 
other,  spread  with  butter  and  maple  syrup.  The  corn  cakes 
are  preferable,  since  they  are  much  more  nutritious,  and  also 
more  digestible,  than  the  buckwheat  cakes.  With  us  these 
cakes  would  be  even  more  digestive,  since  our  butter  is  fresher 
and  of  a  finer  quality,  while  in  America  the  butter  is  salted  and 
does  not  come  to  the  table  fresh  each  day.  With  the  addition 
of  butter  and  syrup,  which  would  be  replaced  by  us  with  pure 
honey,  or  honey  mixed  with  fruit  syrups,  these  corn  cakes 
would  furnish  a  very  complete  article  of  diet,  since  they  would 
contain  albumin,  fat,  and  sugar.  Such  a  breakfast  w^ould  be 
especially  advisable  when  a  strictly  vegetarian  diet  is  being  fol- 


222  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

lowed,  since,  with  that  kind  of  diet,  albumin-containing  foods 
and  those  yielding  many  calories  are  a  necessity.  A  very  light 
breakfast  of  coffee  and  rolls  constitutes  a  serious  mistake  for 
those  following  a  strictly  vegetarian  diet. 

It  is  obvious  that  these  additions  to  the  breakfast,  which 
are  quite  suitable  in  the  diseases  mentioned  when  speaking  of 
macaroni,  would  not  be  indicated  in  obesity  or  diabetes,  and 
should  in  the  latter  affection  be  strictly  forbidden.  In  very 
light  cases  of  diabetes,  buckwheat  cakes — with  the  addition  of 
plenty  of  butter  and  a  little  fruit  syrup — might  be  indulged  in, 
since  the  assimilation  and  absorption  of  the  carbohydrates  by 
the  intestines  is  interfered  with  owing  to  the  high  content  of 
cellulose. 

3.  Concerning  Bread,  and  the  'Advantage  of  Broivn 
Bread  over  White  Bread. 

How  greatly  man  depends  upon  his  daily  bread  can  only 
be  appreciated  by  a  Carlsbad  physician  who,  like  the  author,  is 
often  obliged  to  restrict  his  patients  in  the  use  of  bread.  There 
is  hardly  any  other  article  of  food  which  man  finds  so  hard  to 
give  up,  and  many  persons  would  much  rather  give  up  meat 
than  bread.  Since  the  most  remote  times  man  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  this  food,  which  he  eats  daily  from  early  childhood. 
Recently  I  saw  at  the  British  Museum  remnants  of  bread  in 
the  coffins  of  the  old  Egyptian  mummies,  which  proved  that 
already  thousands  of  years  ago  this  food  was  greatly  prized 
by  man. 

No  other  foodstuff  used  by  man  is  more  satisfying  than 
bread  when  taken  in  combination  with  other  articles  of  diet, 
and  many  of  the  latter  gain  thereby  in  nutritive  value  and 
power  of  assimilation,  as,  for  instance,  milk.  The  feeling  of 
satiety  is  more  particularly  felt  when  dark  bread  is  eaten ;  the 
latter  also  seems  to  have  more  taste.    Most  people  find  a  fine 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     223 

white  bread  less  to  their  taste.  When  we  ask  for  bread,  we 
do  not  care  for  a  "flour  food,"  but  want  a  true  bread,  that  is  to 
say,  a  dark  bread.  In  the  shape  of  rolls,  white  bread  may  be 
satisfactory,  since  these  at  least  have  a  good  hard  crust  already 
dextrinized,  and  consequently  more  digestible,  and  real  bread 
lovers  greatly  prefer  the  crust  to  the  soft,  white  crumb.  It  is 
better  for  the  teeth,  too,  to  eat  the  hard  crust  and  crumb  of  a 
not  quite  fresh  black  bread,  and  it  is  very  probable  that,  for  the 
development  of  the  teeth  of  a  growing  child,  daily  gymnastic 
exercises,  so  to  speak,  with  his  teeth  in  nibbling  at  such  hard 
bread  are  preferable  to  swallowing  some  soft  bread  almost 
without  masticating-  it.  Even  the  dog  looks  instinctively  for  a 
hard  bite  when  his  master  inadvertently  provides  him  with 
nothing  but  soft  food,  and  such  dogs  sometimes  try  to  bite 
wood,  or  even  hard  stones,  as  I  have  myself  seen.  Dark  bread 
has  another  advantage,  namely,  that  it  contains  the  outer  por- 
tions of  the  grain,  the  glutinous  substance,  which  is  more  rich 
in  albumin.  When  the  flour  of  white  bread  is  too  finely  ground 
it  doubtless  contains  more  starch,  but  this  is  not  such  an  impor- 
tant consideration,  for  we  have  plenty  of  starch-containing 
foods  in  the  vegetables  at  our  disposal.  We  need  rather  plenty 
of  albumin  in  our  bread,  for  the  albumin-containing  foods  are 
more  rare  among  the  vegetables.  Potatoes  can  be  accepted  as 
a  substitute  for  the  starch  content  of  bread,  but  cereals  do 
not  in  this  sense  form  a  bread  substitute.  When  bread  con- 
taining less  starch  is  taken,  we  can,  as  is  usually  done  by  dia- 
betics, make  up  the  deficiency  by  eating  potatoes,  but  this  can- 
not be  so  well  done  with  cereals.  White  bread  made  from  the 
finest  flour  product  of  the  rolling  mills  has  another  great  defect, 
that  of  furnishing  too  little  phosphorus,  lime,  and  iron. 
Balland^  states  that  fine  white  Parisian  bread  contains  a  mini- 
mum of  0.06  per  cent,  phosphorus  and  0.15  per  cent,  of 
phosphoric  acid,  and  a  maximum  of  0.18  per  cent.,  while  the 

1  Balland :  Loc.  cit.,  p.  285. 


224 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


coarser  bread  furnished  to  the  soldiers  contains  ahnost  twice 
this  amount  of  phosphorus.  We  may  learn  the  quantity  of 
nutritive  substances  contained  in  various  kinds  of  bread  by 
consulting  the  following  table  by  Konig : — 


Breads. 

Proteids. 
Per  cent. 

Sugar. 
Per  cent. 

Starch. 
Per  cent. 

Cellulose. 
Per  cent. 

Of  fine  wheat  flour  . . . 
Of  coarse  wheat  flour  . 

Graham  bread 

Rye  bread 

6.81 
8.44 
8.10 
6.43 
7.16 
8.80 

2.01 
3.34 

2!5i 
3.28 
17.80 

55.69 
47.10 
47.56 
47.93 
43.16 
55.64 

0.31 
1.12 

1.02 
0.80 

Pumpernickel 

Biscuit  (zwieback)  .... 

1.48 
0.39 

We  see  by  the  above  how  much  more  albumin  is  contained 
m  the  coarser  wheat  flour,  but  it  nevertheless  has  the  drawback 
that  such  a  gluten-containing  bread  is  more  poorly  assimilated. 
Rubner^  states  that  of  the  finest  wheat  flour  21.8  per  cent,  is 
lost,  and  of  the  coarsely  ground  shelled  grain  about  7  per  cent, 
more.  In  flour  of  a  medium  quality  only  about  3  per  cent, 
more  are  lost.  It  is  consequently  advisable  for  us  to  use  bread 
of  a  medium  quality,  as  otherwise  we  must  allow  for  7  per 
cent,  more ;  but  even  though  the  nutrient  salts  are  more  poody 
assimilated,  we  can  make  up  for  this.  It  would  be  advan- 
tageous to  mix  fine  rye  flour  and  wheat  flour  for  making  bread. 
Such  bread  would  be  preferable  to  white  bread,  because  it 
would  stimulate  the  bowels  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  bread 
entirely  free  from  bran.  Bread  made  entirely  from  coarse 
rye  flour  would,  nevertheless,  not  prove  healthful,  as  according 
to  Rubner  much  of  the  albumin  is  lost,  reaching  when  baked 
with  yeast  the  enormous  amount  of  46.6  per  cent.,  and  14  per 
cent,  of  carbohydrate ;  with  a  "sour  dough,"  or  leaven,  32  per 
cent,  of  albumin  and  10  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates.  For  a 
healthy  person,  however,  such  food  would  not  be  so  bad,  and  in 
case  the  digestion  were  to  suffer,  bread  made  from  shelled. 


1  Rubner:  Lehrbuch  der  Hygiene,  8,  Aufl.,  S.  476. 


Good  and-  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    225 

coarsely  ground  wheat  could  be  substituted.  In  countries 
where  the  people  eat  large  quantities  of  rye  bread  we  find  them 
to  be  in  such  a  perfect  condition  of  health  that  we  must  con- 
clude that  this  coarse  bread  diet  is  not  a  disadvantage,  but 
rather  the  contrary.  The  chief  objection  to  these  coarse  breads 
is  that  the  quantity  of  feces  is  greatly  increased,  which  tends 
also  to  interfere  wath  the  assimilation  of  the  other  foods.  That 
most  tO'  be  recommended  from  the  standpoint  of  health  would 
be  the  Graham  bread  made  from  shelled  whole,  milled  grain. 
The  leavened  pumpernickel  is  less  desirable,  as  43  per  cent,  is 
lost  in  the  intestine.  According  to  Rubner,  26  per  cent,  of 
nitrogen  and  7.5  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates  are  not  assimilated 
in  the  Graham  bread. 

A  healthy  person  can,  however,  eat  pumpernickel,  and  it 
is  really  an  excellent  breakfast  food,  which  should  be  more 
widely  used.  The  above-named  breads  may  also'  do  good 
service  for  diabetics,  since  owing  to  the  considerable  cellulose 
content  the  sugar  is  slowly  and  with  difficulty  carried  intO'  the 
blood,  so  that  the  elimination  of  sugar  is  very  little  influenced. 
I  consequently  prefer  to  order  small  amounts  of  such  bread  for 
my  diabetic  patients,  in  preference  to  the  less  tasty  diabetic 
breads.  For  people  with  delicate  stomachs  and  intestines  the 
easily  digested  white  bread  is  to  be  recommended,  and  partic- 
ularly zwieback,  in  which  the  starch  has  been  converted  into 
a  more  soluble  and  digestible  form.  By  simply  drying  or 
broiling  the  slices  of  bread,  thus  making  the  never-failing 
"toast"  of  the  English  and  American  breakfast  tables,  bread 
can  be  more  readily  digested.  It  is  also'  more  easily  masticated, 
and  for  this  reason  a  somewhat  stale  bread  is  to  be  preferred  to 
that  freshly  baked. 

The  most  healthful  bread  of  all  would  be  that  made  in 
the  old-fashioned  way  by  grinding  wheat  between  two  stones, 
in  which  manner  all  of  the  nutrient  substances  and  salts  are 

15 


226  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

preserved.  When  we  consider  that  the  poor  get  almost  all  of 
their  daily  amounts  of  nutrient  salts  from  bread,  we  must  con- 
sider it  as  a  crime  against  the  public  welfare  when,  through 
greed  for  gain,  or  for  technical  reasons,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
rolling  mills,  the  flour  is  largely  robbed  of  its  nutritive  salts 
and  other  substances.  The  building  up  of  the  bony  structure, 
the  chest  expansion,  the  development  of  the  lungs,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  general  health  of  the  population  at  large  stand  in 
intimate  relation  to  the  above.  Fine  white  breads  are,  at  all 
events,  to  be  condemned. 


4.  The  Advantages  of  Rice  as  Food. 

Millions  of  people  in  eastern  Asia,  India,  and  the  Indian 
Archipelago  live  almost  exclusively  upon  rice,  and  with  this 
diet  they  possess  such  indefatigable  energy  and  industry  as  is 
scarcely  to  be  found  among  those  who  subsist  on  other  food. 
The  reason  for  this  great  capacity  for  work  lies  in  the  nature 
of  their  staple  food.  Rice  contains  such  a  large  amount  of 
carbohydrates  (about  80  per  cent.)  that  it  heads  the  list  of 
vegetable  foods  in  this  respect,  and  we  know  that  muscular 
work  is  principally  accomplished  through  the  agency  of  the 
carbohydrates.  While,  however,  the  rice-eaters — the  majority 
of  the  Chinese,  according  to  Kintaro  Oshima^  about  75  per 
cent,  of  Japanese,  and  most  of  the  Hindoos  live  almost  exclu- 
sively upon  rice — are  untiring  in  their  work,  they  are  not 
characterized  by  very  robust  health.  We  observe  that  the 
Hindoos,  for  instance,  are  thin  and  withered  looking,  and  they 
have  no  powers  of  resistance.  Just  as  is  the  case  with  insuffi- 
ciently or  not  at  all  manured  plants  and  badly  nourished 
animals,  the  Hindoos  fall  a  ready  prey  to  all  kinds  of  infec- 
tious diseases.  Epidemics  are  prevalent  among  them,  and  they 
offer  no  resistance  to  their  inroads.     This  is  due  to  the  fact 


1  After  Chittenden,  loc.  cit. 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    227 

that  their  food,  the  rice,  is  very  poor  in  the  most  important 
component  part  of  our  food,  the  albumin,  of  which  it  contains 
5.56  per  cent,  together  with  only  0.3  per  cent,  of  fat;  it  also 
contains  but  little  of  the  nutritive  salts.  This  is  a  result  of  the 
unhappy  condition  which  likewise  prevails  in  the  preparation  of 
our  other  cereals,  namely,  the  robbing  of  grain  of  its  shell, 
which  contains  appreciable  quantities  of  phosphorus  and  other 
inorganic  nutrients.  I  may  mention,  in  illustration,  that  the 
rice  sent  to  Paris  from  the  French  colonies  contains  when  un- 
shelled  a  maximum  of  0.35  per  cent,  of  phosphorus.  Shelled 
and  polished  rice,  as  it  is  usually  eaten,  contains  a  maximum 
of  0.07  per  cent.  The  same  was  stated  by  Jebbink,  who  found 
in  unpolished,  uncooked  rice  0.26  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid, 
while  in  the  polished  and  cooked  rice  there  was  less  than  the 
half — 0.12  per  cent.  In  order  to  make  rice  more  digestible  it 
is  not  only  deprived  of  its  shell,  but  another  fine  membrane, 
the  "silver  skin,"  is  also  lost,  which  is  rich  in  nutrient  salts, 
particularly  in  organic  phosphorus.  Eikmann  states  that  it 
contains  as  much  nutrient  salts  as  the  rice-kernel  itself,  so  that 
with  this  membrane  the  content  is  about  doubled.  This  fine 
skin  also  contains  much  nitrogen,  so  through  the  polishing 
process  the  rice  loses  greatly  in  nutritive  value.  We,  unfor- 
tunately, eat  only  such  rice.  It  is  sent  to  us  with  the  shell  on — 
otherwise  it  would  lose  all  taste  during  the  transport — and  in 
the  rice-mill  it  is  then  robbed  of  its  shell  and,  unfortunately, 
also  of  its  "silver  skin"  by  the  polishing  process.  We  shall 
now  show  the  nutrient  salt  content  of  the  shelled  and  polished 
rice  according  to  E.  Wolffs : — 

Nutrient  Salts  in  the  Rice  Kernel  (Shelled) 

Iron    Phosphoric  Sulphuric  Silicic 
Potash.       Soda.        Lime.    Maenesla.    oxide.         acid.  acid.        acid.      Chlorine. 

Per  ct.      Per  ct.       Per  ct.       Per  ct.      Per  ct.       Per  ct.        Per  ct.      Per  ct.      Per  ct. 

21.73       S.SO       3.24       11.20       1.23       56.68        0.62       2.74       1.10 


E.  Wolflf:  "Aschenanalysen,"  Berlin,  1871,  p.  154. 


228  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Nutritive  Salts  in  100  Grams  of  Rice  Flour.* 

Phosphoric 
Potash.  Soda.  Lime.  Iron  oxide.  acid.         Sulphuric  acid. 

Percent  Percent.  Percent.  Percent.        Percent.  Percent. 

0.253  0.043  0.038  0.014  0.543  0.008 

We  see  from  the  above  analysis  that  rice,  even  though  it 
is  but  poorly  mineralized  as  vv^e  eat  it,  has  the  advantage  of 
belonging  to  the  class  of  foods  containing  but  little  common 
salt,  and  that  owing  to  its  content  of  potash  and  soda  less  salt 
is  required  to  be  added  in  flavoring  it.  This  makes  it  a  very 
desirable  food  for  nephretics,  since  its  decomposition  products 
have  no  injurious  action  upon  the  kidneys.  Among  all  foods 
rice  and  milk  are  the  least  injurious  for  the  kidneys.  Rice, 
owing  to  its  easy  digestion  and  assimilation,  is,  when  well  pre- 
pared, a  very  good  food  in  stomach  and  intestinal  diseases. 
When  insufficiently  cooked  it  is  rather  hard  and  is  not  sO'  well 
digested;  when  too  much  cooked  it  takes  up  toO'  much  water 
and  loses  all  taste.  The  best  way  is  to  steam  it  for  a  long  time. 
In  Italy,  prepared  as  risotto,  it  is  not  very  digestible ;  in  Spain 
I  have  eaten  it  colored  with  saffron  and  containing  sea-mussels ; 
it  is  called  arroz  a  la  Valenciana,  and  I  found  it  very  pala- 
table. In  England  rice  is  often  used  as  a  cold  pudding,  in 
which  form  it  is  very  good.  In  my  country  it  is  frequently 
mixed  with  raisins  and  cinnamon,  which  increases  its  palatable 
and  nutritious  properties.  Since  rice  contains  but  little  fat, 
butter  should  be  added  to  it.  Sugar  also  improves  its  taste; 
and  when  sugar-peas  are  added,  in  which  form — "risi-bisi" — 
it  is  a  food  much  used  in  Austria,  the  otherwise  rather  limited 
albumin  content  is  considerably  increased. 

Rice,  as  a  food,  is  very  useful  in  diseases  of  the  liver, 
and  in  afifections  of  the  blood-vessels  and  heart.  It  is  also  to 
be  recommended  in  gout,  as  it  does  not  form  uric  acid.  For 
persons  who  prefer  a  vegetable  diet,  rice  should  never  be 
absent  from  the  bill  of  fare.     Obese  subjects  and  diabetics 

1  After  Schall  and  Heisler,  p.  32,  C.  c. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    229 

should  strictly  avoid  its  use.  It  is  a  peculiar  fact  that  this  food, 
which  is  very  useful  for  us,  often  proves  injurious  for  the  in- 
habitants of  oriental  and  tropical  countries.  It  is  not  the  rice 
itself,  that  valuable  gift  of  Providence,  which  is  hurtful,  but 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  prepared  and  eaten.  The  Orientals, 
like  the  Japanese,  are  in  the  habit  of  adding  the  strongest  kinds 
of  spices  to  the  rice,  which  is  somewhat  tasteless  of  itself. 
While  visiting  patients  in  Holland  who  owned  sugar  planta- 
tions in  India,  I  have  eaten  rice  prepared  in  this  way.  Many 
dainty  dishes  are  served  at  their  table,  but  the  rice  was  cooked 
with  so  many  strong  spices,  including  black  and  red  pepper, 
that  my  mouth  fairly  burned  after  eating  it.  In  tropical 
climates  such  highly  flavored  foods  are  doubtless  less  injurious, 
since,  owing  to  the  very  great  activity  of  the  skin,  they  are 
probably  eliminated  through  it  rather  than  by  the  kidneys. 
The  beneficent  design  pervading  all  the  creations  of  Nature 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  is  in  just  these  hot  climates,  or  with 
us  in  summer,  that  such  spices  grow ;  their  use  in  a  damp,  cold 
climate  such  as  that  of  Holland  would  be  very  injurious. 
While  the  rice  itself  is  advantageous  for  our  kidneys,  spices 
added  to  it  are  very  detrimental. 

Because  the  natives  of  the  countries  in  which  rice  is  culti- 
vated constantly  eat  it  in  the  shelled  and  polished  form,  they 
are  subject  to  a  terrible  disease  with  marked  nervous  symp- 
toms,— beriberi.  As  has  been  proven  in  the  Japanese  navy,  the 
sailors  are  immune  to  this  disease  when  they  can  get  plenty  of 
meat.  Eikmann's  experiments  upon  chickens  show  that  when 
they  were  fed  upon  polished  rice  they  were  usually  affected 
by  polyneuritis,  the  cocks  more  so  than  the  hens.  When  the 
rice  still  had  the  "silver  skin"  the  chickens  never  became  dis- 
eased, and  when  raw  meat  was  added  they  were  in  fine  condi- 
tion. He  ascribes  the  disease  to  the  absence  of  the  "silver 
skin,"  causing  a  lack  of  valuable  nutrient  salts.  An  interesting 
fact  reported  by  Vordermann  is  that  in  Java,  among  the  occu- 


230  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

pants  of  52  prisons,  beriberi  occurred  in  72  per  cent,  of  those 
fed  upon  polished  rice,  while  in  37  prisons  in  which  the  un- 
polished rice  was  furnished  as  food  only  2."^  per  cent,  were 
affected.  Without  devoting  any  further  space  tO'  the  discussion 
of  this  important  subject  we  may  still  briefly  mention  that  ex- 
periments made  by  Hulshof  Pol,  Nocht,  and  Schaumann  con- 
finn  the  opinion,  which  has  recently  been  further  strengthened 
in  a  recently  published  dissertation  by  Jebbink,  that  beriberi  is 
caused  by  a  lack  of  phosphorus.  We  might  also  add  that  a 
one-sided  diet,  as  was  stated  in  referring  to  pellagra  in  a  pre- 
vious chapter,  diminishes  the  protective  resistance  against  in- 
fectious diseases,  and  also'  causes  a  lack  of  phosphorus. 

We  should  consider  the  lack  of  phosphortis.  as  a  predis- 
posing factor,  since  Aron  and  Hodgson^  have  shown,  in  their 
experiments  upon  monkeys,  that  it  diminishes  the  resisting 
power  against  infection.  This  deficiency  might  alsoi  be  ac- 
cepted as  a  direct  etiological  factor,  as  it  produces  nervous 
symptoms  which  are  improved  by  the  absorption  of  organic 
phosphorus  in  the  food.  Thus,  Hulshof  Pol  obtained  very 
favorable  results  in  the  prophylaxis  and  treatment  of  beriberi 
by  the  administration  of  kaljang-idjoe,  an  Indian  variety  of 
bean,  containing  considerable  phosphorus. 

5.  Corn:    Its  Advantages  as  a  Food. 

It  has  been  observed  that,  in  countries  where  much  com  is 
eaten,  tuberculosis  and  epilepsy,  as  well  as  kidney  disorders, 
are  extremely  rare.  We  shall  not  here  question  the  correctness 
of  this  statement,  but  it  is  an  undisputed  fact  that  corn  is  a  very 
valuable  article  of  food.  It  is  another  of  the  many  anomalies 
to  be  met  with  in  our  method  of  nourishment  that  a  foodstuff 
containing  10  per  cent,  of  albumin,  over  5  per  cent,  of  fat,  and 
about  70  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates,  as  well  as  many  nutrient 

lAron  and  Hodgson:  Loc.  cit. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    231 

salts,  should  in  our  country  be  chiefly  used  to  feed  pigs  and  to 
fatten  geese  and  ducks,  while  thousands  of  persons  are  suffer- 
ing from  hunger,  and  would  gladly  eat  the  food  thus  given  to 
animals.  One  might  be  led  to  suppose  that  this  perversity  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  corn  is  disagreeable  in  taste.  This  is  cer- 
tainly not  the  case,  for  during  two  voyages  of  seven  months 
each  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico,  all  of  them 
countries  in  which  much  corn  is  eaten,  I  was  able  to  convince 
myself  that  corn  meal  prepared  in  various  ways  tastes  very 
good,  and  I  enjoyed  eating  corn  bread,  corn  cakes,  etc.,  almost 
every  day.  I  found  these  corn  foods  more  palatable  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  United  States,  where  the  sweeter,  yellow 
corn  is  used,  than  in  Georgia,  Louisiana,  South  Carolina,  etc., 
where  white  corn  meal  was  used  in  the  foods  set  before  me  in 
hotels. 

While  thus  the  taste  would  not  be  a  deterrent  factor  in 
the  use  of  corn,  the  objection  might  be  made  that  it  is  hard  to 
digest  and  also  poorly  assimilated.  This  is  also  certainly  not 
justified,  for  while  partaking  of  it  daily  during  a  long  time 
I  never  noted  any  difficulty  in  the  digestion  except  after  having 
taken  too  much  corn  bread.  Malfatti  also  states  that  corn 
and  rice,  as  well  as  fine  and  medium-fine  wheat  flour,  are  well 
assimilated. 

Corn  being  easily  assimilated  as  well  as  palatable,  most 
timid  people  might  be  afraid  of  pellagra.  Any  such  fear  can 
at  once  be  allayed,  for  I  never  personally  heard  of  a  single  case 
of  pellagra  while  in  the  Northern  section  of  the  United  States 
or  in  Canada,  and,  since  this  disease  principally  occurs  among 
the  lower  classes  in  Italy  and  the  Adriatic  maritime  countries, 
it  may  be  ascribed  to  a  one-sided  diet,  just  as  in  beriberi,  which 
affects  only  the  natives  of  eastern  Asia  living  almost  exclusively 
upon  rice.  Pellagra  is  probably  caused  by  bacterial  toxins, 
which  are  not  formed  in  fresh  corn,  but  in  old  corn  through  the 
decomposition  of  the  gluten  in  its  outer  shell.    It  is  most  likely. 


232  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

however,  that  it  is  the  one-sided  and  scanty  food  and  mahiu- 
trition  which  give  rise  to  pellagra,  just  as  with  the  rice-eaters 
beriberi  is  developed  owing  to  a  decreased  power  of  resistance 
against  infection. 

We  see  therefore  that  there  is  no  valid  reason  for  thus 
neglecting  such  a  valuable  article  of  diet  as  corn.  The  greatest 
mistake  consists  in  the  fact  that  vegetarian  restaurants  do  not 
include  this  article  of  diet  in  their  rather  limited  bill  of  fare, 
Avhich  does  not  offer  many  albumin-containing  foods,  with  the 
exception  of  certain  vegetable  fats,  and  this  especially  since 
corn  is  cheaper  than  many  other  cereals,  such  as  wheat,  etc. 

A  multiplicity  of  palatable  foods  can  be  made  with  corn, 
such  as  cakes,  corn  bread, — the  latter  of  which  is  best  when 
mixed  with  rye  flour,  as  it  is  made  in  many  sections  of  Hun- 
gary, Croatia,  and  Servia, — gruel,  or  pap,  like  the  polenta  so 
much  used  in  Italy.  Mixed  with  eggs  and  milk  or  water  and 
butter,  and  baked  in  a  pan,  it  makes  a  very  agreeable  food, 
"male,"  which  is  much  liked  in  Hungary  and  Croatia;  these 
cakes  are  often  spread  with  honey,  which  makes  them  even 
nicer.  In  Mexico  and  California  I  saw  corn  prepared  as 
"tamales,"  a  dish  which  is  flavored  with  Spanish  peppers, 
"chile."  The  flat  corn  cakes  which  are  used  as  a  breakfast 
food  in  the  United  States  have  already  been  referred  to.  The 
maizena,  "mondamin,"  made  from  cornstarch,  when  mixed 
with  milk  and  eggs  in  the  form  of  "blanc-mange,"  is  one  of  the 
most  easily  digested  foods,  probably  not  surpassed  by  any  in 
regard  to  its  assimilation  by  the  intestine. 

Corn  itself,  when  on  the  cob,  is  a  much-liked  food,  when 
roasted  or  boiled.  In  America,  corn  is  thus  used  as  a  vegetable, 
but  for  weak  stomachs  or  where  there  is  a  tendency  to  intestinal 
disturbance  it  should  never  be  indulged  in,  as  it  is  very  indi- 
gestible. In  addition  to  its  great  nutritive  value,  corn  contains 
certain  valuable  salts,  such  as  phosphorus.  In  loo  grams,  ac- 
cording to  Schall  and  Heisler,  there  is  contained  0.689  gram 


[agrnesia. 
Per  ct. 

Iron 
oxide. 
Per  ct. 

Phos- 
phoric 
acid. 
Per  ct. 

Sulphuric  Silicic  Chlorine, 
acid.       acid. 
Per  ct.    Per  ct.     Per  ct. 

14.80 

1.51 

44.97 

_          _          _ 

Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    233 

phosphoric  acid,  and,  according  to  Balland,  between  0.2  and 
0.35  of  phosphorus  and  0.47  and  0.80  phosphoric  acid;  Jebbink 
states  that  raw  there  is  0.83  per  cent,  and  cooked  0.31  per 
cent.  The  nutrient  salt  content  of  the  ash,  both  of  com  and  of 
corn  flour,  is  as  follows : — 

Nutrient  Salt  Content  of  Corn  Grains.1 

Phos- 
Potash.       Soda.       Lime.    Magnesia.  Iron        phoric    Sulphuric  Silicic  Chlorine. 

oxide.         acid.  acid.        acid. 

Perct.       Perct.      Perct.      Perct.     Per  ct.      Per  ct.      Per  ct.    Per  ct.    Perct. 

29.78        1.10       2.17        15.52      0.76       45.61        0.78      2.09      0.91 

Nutrient  Salt  Content  of  Corn  Flour.^ 

Potash.       Soda.       Lime. 
Per  ct.       Per  ct.     Per  ct. 

28.50       3.50       6.37 

According  to  the  composition  of  Schall  and  Heisler,^  100 
grams  of  fresh  corn  flour  contain : — 

Phos- 

Potash.      Soda.       Lime.    Magnesia.     Iron         phoric  Sulphuric  Silicic  Chlorine. 

oxide.         acid.         acid.       acid. 
Per  ct.      Per  ct.      Per  ct.      Per  ct.        Per  ct.      Per  ct.       Per  ct.    Per  ct.    Per  ct. 

0.449      0.017      0.033        —         0.011       0.089         —        —       0.014 

Corn  thus  contains  considerable  amounts  of  these  salts, 
and  particularly  of  phosphorus,  and  also  appreciable  quantities 
of  iron,  although  of  the  latter  substance  more  is  contained  in 
wheat  and  oats. 

That  wheat  is  a  healthful  food  is  shown  by  the  fresh  ap- 
pearance of  the  people  for  whom  it  forms' a  staple  article  of 
diet.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Franche-Comte  in  France  are 
characterized  by  their  appearance  of  robust  health.  There  are 
probably  no  more  hard-working  people  than  the  Italian 
laborers  employed  on  the  railroads,  who  eat  polenta  as  a  daily 
food ;  they  can  endure  great  fatigue,  like  carbohydrate-eaters 
in  general,  and  with  it  all  look  to  be  more  healthy  than  the 


1  E.  Wolff :  "Aschenanalysen,"  Berlin,  1871,  p.  36. 

2  After  Stepf  and  Konig. 

3  Loc.  cit.,  p.  32. 


234  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

rice-eaters,  since  corn  also  contains  albumin  and  fat,  both  of 
which  are  poorly  represented  in  rice,  as  we  have  seen  in  the 
preceding  chapter. 

{%)   Starch-containing  Tubers. 

White  and  Szaeet  Potatoes,  Manioc,  Sago,  Tapioca,  and 
their  Advantages. 

Just  as  is  the  case  with  bread,  many  people  feel  that  they 
cannot  do'  without  potatoes.  Especially  in  the  northern 
regions,  as  in  Scandinavia,  and  even  more  so  in  Ireland,  does 
the  potato  form  a  chief  part  of  the  daily  food.  In  many  sec- 
tions of  northern  Hungary  the  Slovaks  live  almost  exclusively 
upon  potatoes.  In  my  country,  too,  there  are  large  numbers  of 
people  from  whose  tables  they  are  never  absent;  this  great 
liking  for  them,  which  seems  to;  be  almost  instinctive,  is  readily 
understood,  for  in  this  region  potatoes,  together  with  bread, 
supply  our  daily  needs  of  carbohydrate  materials,  of  which 
potatoes  contain  i6  to  22  per  cent.  They  also  constitute — 
particularly  new  potatoes — a  very  agreeable  food,  especially 
when  well  prepared.  The  taste-bearing  constituents  in  them 
disappear  very  rapidly,  so  that  when  they  are  pared  and  placed 
in  water  they  soon  lose  their  taste,  especially  when  the  water 
is  heated.  For  this  reason  potatoes  should  always  be  boiled 
in  the  skins;  the  best  way  is  to  put  them!  intO'  boiling  water 
and  let  them  cook  for  about  half  an  hour,  until  they  are  quite 
soft.  When  the  potatoes  are  sufficiently  cooked,  they  should 
be  peeled  and  served  at  once,  for  their  taste  is  rapidly  lost. 
Whoever  is  fond  of  potatoes  should  not  come  late  tO'  meals 
in  a  hotel,  but  should  endeavor  to  be  among  the  first,  for 
when  peeled  and  prepared  some  time  before,  they  no  longer 
taste  very  good;  even  the  delicious  new  potatoes  get  hard. 
The  digestibility  of  the  potato'  also  depends  upon  the  manner 
of  its  preparation,  for  we  must  remember  that  the  digestible 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    235 

nourishing  portions,  the  starch  granules,  are  imbedded  in  a 
covering  of  cellulose.  These  shells  may  be  expected  to  burst 
open  in  the  cooking,  so  that  the  digestive  juices  can  act  upon 
the  nutritious  substances  within.  When  potatoes  have  been 
thoroughly  cooked  and  are  served  mashed  in  the  form  of  a 
puree,  they  give  the  stomach  but  little  work,  and  can  be  well 
assimilated  in  the  intestine,  for  the  cellulose  can  then  dO'  no 
harm.  The  case  is  very  different,  however,  when  potatoes  are 
sliced  and  fried,  and  perhaps  only  partially  cooked  through. 
They  then  seem  tender  on  the  outside,  but  the  cellulose  in  the 
interior  portions  has  not  been  rent  asunder ;  the  starchy  portions 
remain  in  a  raw  condition,  and,  as  Strassburger  has  shown, 
appear  undigested  in  the  feces.  When  potatoes  are  taken  in 
the  form  of  a  salad,  about  7  per  cent,  of  the  carbohydrate  con- 
stituents is  lost,  according  to  Rubner.  The  most  healthful 
way,  therefore,  is  to  eat  potatoes  in  the  form  of  a  puree.  Good, 
dry,  mealy  potatoes,  when  steamed,  sliced  and  browned,  are 
well  tolerated  and  assimilated.  Whole  roasted  potatoes  are  in- 
digestible, badly  assimilated,  and  often  give  rise  to  acid  eructa- 
tions; they  are  consequently  not  adapted  for  stomach  and 
intestinal  troubles. 

The  taste  of  potatoes  and  the  amount  of  starch  contained 
in  them  depend  upon  the  climate  and  soil.  In  some  countries, 
in  England  and  Holland  particularly,  they  grow  very  well  and 
have  a  very  excellent  taste.  The  starch  content  is  dependent, 
upon  the  sun  they  receive,  as  is  the  case  with  tubers  in  general, 
for  through  the  influence  of  the  sun's  rays  the  starch,  which  is 
formed  in  the  leaves,  is  stored  up.  The  tubers  in  these  plants 
may  be  said  to  occupy  about  the  same  position  in  their  makeup 
as  does  the  liver  with  us,  since  the  starch  is  also  deposited  in 
this  organ,  to  be  converted  into  sugar  as  required  and  then 
consumed.  After  a  summer  in  which  there  has  been  plenty  of 
sunny  weather,  the  potatoes  show  an  unusually  high  starch 
content.     Generally  the  amount  ranges  from  16  per  cent,  in 


236  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

the  young  potatoes  to  22  per  cent,  in  the  old  ones;  the  older 
the  tuber,  the  more  starch  has  been  deposited  in  it.  Of  the 
other  nutritive  substances,  e.g.,  albumin,  the  potato  contains 
but  little,  the  minimal  amount  being  0.69  per  cent,  and  the 
maximum  3.67  per  cent. :  of  fat  there  is  even  less, — 0.04  to 
0.96  per  cent.  Following  is  the  average  composition  of  the 
potato,  according  to  Konig^ : — 

Water.  Protein.  Fat.  Carbohydrate. 

74.93  per  cent.         1.39  per  cent.        0.15  per  cent.        20.86  per  cent. 

The  potato  not  only  contains  very  little  albumin,  but  only 
about  one-half  of  this  is  digestible ;  the  rest  occurs  in  the  form 
of  amino-compounds, — for  the  most  part  asparagin, — which 
may  probably  also  play  some  useful  role. 

Since  potatoes  contain  so  little  fat,  it  is  advisable  not  to 
eat  them  alone,  but  to  add  butter.  Dry  potatoes  certainly  do 
not  taste  good,  but  fresh  potatoes  with  good  butter,  or  potatoes 
browned  in  butter,  with  a  crisp,  appetizing  crust,  as  they  are 
so  deliciously  prepared  in  Paris,  and  occasionally  in  England, 
are  most  palatable.  As  potatoes  are  poor  in  albumin,  and  meat, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  poor  in  carbohydrates,  these  two  articles 
of  food  should  go  hand  in  hand,  as  it  were;  a  roast  of  meat 
does  not  seem  complete  without  potatoes,  nor  do  the  potatoes 
without  meat.  To  be  sure,  good  potatoes  carefully  fried  are 
by  no  means  to  be  despised  as  a  food  when  eaten  alone,  but 
in  a  vegetable  diet  they  do  not  play  the  same  role  as  for  the 
meat-eater,  since  the  vegetarians  can  better  obtain  their  re- 
quired amounts  of  carbohydrate  from  rice,  sago,  tapioca,  etc. 
These  contain  a  much  greater  total  of  carbohydrate  material 
and  are  consequently  more  nutritious  for  the  vegetarian,  while 
potatoes  are  more  voluminous  and  less  nutritious.  According 
to  Bunge,  potatoes  also  give  rise  to  a  craving  for  salt,  owing  to 
the  large  amount  of  potash  and  the  slight  quantity  of  soda 


1  Konig,  ii,  p.  892. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    237 

contained  in  them,  as  a  consequence  of  which  more  common 
salt  is  excreted  and  must  be  again  replaced. 

The  diet  of  the  vegetarian  is,  in  general,  already  poor  in 
salt,  so  that  he  should  not  add  to  it  large  amounts  of  any  article 
of  food  which  will  increase  the  desire  for  salt  further.  Rice 
is,  therefore,  far  preferable  for  him.  The  potash  content  is 
greater  than  that  of,  perhaps,  any  other  food,  amounting  to  60 
per  cent.  We  shall  now  describe  the  mineral  contents  of  the 
potato,  as  given  by  Konig. 

The  ash  of  potatoes  contains  the  following  percentages  of 
the  various  nutritive  salts^  : — 

Phos. 
Potash.       Soda.       Lime.    Magnesia.    I.on         phoric    Sulphuric  Silicic  Chlorine, 
oxide.         acid.  acid.       acid. 

60.06        2.96        2.64        4.93        1.10        16.80        6.52        2.4        2.46 

As  to  the  content  of  phosphorus,  one  of  the  most  important 
of  the  mineral  substances  in  our  food,  potatoes  when  cooked 
contain,  according  to  Jebbink,  o.io  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid ; 
according  to  Balland,  o.oi  per  cent,  of  phosphorus  and  0.22  per 
cent,  of  phosphoric  acid.  In  the  table  of  Schall  and  Heisler^ 
160  milligrams  of  phosphoric  acid  are  given  as  being  contained 
in  100  grams  of  the  fresh  substance. 

The  following  amounts  of  the  nutritive  salts  are  present 
in  100  grams  of  the  fresh  substance : — 


Potash. 

Soda. 

Lime. 

Iron  oxide. 

Chlorine. 

Phosphoric  acid. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

0.571 

0.028 

0.028 

0.010 

0.023 

0.160 

When  we  wish  to  introduce  many  alkaline  substances  into 
the  body,  potatoes  render  good  service;  large  quantities  will 
render  the  urine  alkaline.  Mosse  states  that  in  i  kilo  of 
potatoes  there  is  contained  almost  as  much  of  alkaline  sub- 
stance as  is  present  in  i  liter  of  Vichy  water,  and  he  has  also 
observed — as  is  often  the  case  after  the  use  of  alkaline  waters — 
that  the  sugar  in  the  urine  of  his  diabetic  patients  was  con- 

1  Konig,  ii,  p.  898. 

2  Schall  and  Heisler :  Loc.  cit.,  p.  Z2. 


238  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

siderably  decreased  after  potatoes  had  been  eaten,  for  which 
reason  he  recommends  a  diet  exckisively  of  potatoes  in  the 
treatment  of  diabetes.  The  sugar  really  does  often  disappear 
after  such  treatment,  but,  as  I  have  stated  in  my  work  on  new 
methods  and  measures  of  treatment  in  diabetes,  we  possess 
more  rational  modes  of  treating  this  disease  than  such  an  im- 
practicable and  purposeless  diet,  in  which  the  lack  of  albumin 
in  the  food  would  surely  also  exert  a  therapeutic  influence  upon 
the  diabetes.  In  addition  to  the  potash  content  the  asparagin 
no  doubt  also  plays  a  role.  Stocklasa  and  Biernacki  have 
shown  that  a  large  content  of  potash  in  the  food  greatly  favors 
the  breaking  down  of  carbohydrates. 

It  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  allow  all  diabetics  to  take 
potatoes;  I  have  myself  seen  injurious  effects  follow  reckless 
use  of  this  food  in  diabetes.  As  soon  as  meat  is  given  together 
with  the  potatoes,  the  elimination  of  sugar  is  readily  increased. 
It  would  be  best  to  use  the  potatoes  in  small  quantities,  fried 
or,  better  still,  in  the  form  of  salad,  since  they  are  then  not  so 
well  assimilated.  In  obesity  potatoes  should  not  be  allowed, 
since  the  fat  may  be  increased  owing  to  their  carbohydrate 
content.  In  kidney  diseases  the  increased  amount  of  salt  taken 
with  the  potatoes  might  come  into  play.  They  also'  contain 
purin  bases — uric  acid  producers — according  to  Bessau  and 
Schmidt,  to  the  extent  of  0.002;  this  is  really  but  a  small 
amount,  so  that  potatoes  need  not  be  strictly  forbidden  in  gout. 
Their  tendency  to  produce  flatulence  should  be  given  due 
weight  in  gout  as  well  as  in  arteriosclerosis.  If,  however,  the 
potatoes  are  taken  in  the  form  of  a  puree,  instead  of  fried  or 
roasted,  flatulence  may  be  avoided.  The  question  must  be 
well  considered  before  such  a  much-used  and  well-liked  food 
as  the  potato  is  absolutely  forbidden. 

In  the  tropics  and  in  the  United  States,  a  kind  of  sweet 
potato  is  frequently  eaten.  I  found  the  taste  of  sweet  potatoes 
very  agreeable,  something  like  a  chestnut  puree,  and  often  ate 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    239 

them  fried,  and  liked  them  very  much.  I  found  them  some- 
what indigestible,  however,  somewhat  less  so  when  boiled,  but 
am  inclined  to  think  that  they  are  more  apt  to  cause  acidity 
of  the  stomach  than  our  native  potatoes.  It  would  be  well  to 
cultivate  this  useful  variety  of  potato  in  our  country. 

In  countries  where  the  sun  is  almost  always  shining,  thus 
causing  great  heat,  a  great  quantity  of  starch  is  formed  in  the 
tuberous  roots  of  certain  trees,  as  in  the  "manihot"  tree,  called 
the  cassava  tree  in  South  America  and  Java,  which  belongs  to 
the  Euphorbiaceae.  When  the  knots  on  the  roots  of  these  trees, 
which  are  often  very  large,  are  cut  open,  a  white,  starch-like 
mass  will  be  seen  to  fill  the  cavity.  After  having  been  very 
carefully  cleaned,  for  the  removal  of  a  poisonous  substance, 
this  starchy  mass  is  then  spread  out  on  a  hot  metallic  plate. 
From  the  manioc,  and  also  from  the  starch  obtained  from  the 
roots  of  a  tree  belonging  to  the  Marantacea,  the  Maranta 
arundinacea  (arrowToot),  as  well  as  from  the  Colocaria  Taro 
in  Africa  and  Tahiti,  the  Curcurmartes,  various  starch-contain- 
ing substances  like  tapioca  are  made.  The  trunks  of  palm  trees 
contain  a  great  deal  of  starchy  flour,  and  from  it  sago  is  made, 
which  consists  of  little  granules.  Tapioca  and  sago  are  alsO' 
made  in  Europe  from  the  starch  obtained  from  potatoes. 
These  foods  present  many  advantages.  In  the  first  place  they 
are  nutritious,  since  they  contain  78  to  88  per  cent,  of  carbohy- 
drates, in  such  a  form  that  it  is  scarcely  equaled  by  any  other 
food  in  regard  to  the  assimilation  of  the  starches;  they  are 
almost  entirely  free  from  cellulose,  and  therefore  the  intestinal 
juices  can  act  fully  upon  them.  They  are  consequently  very 
easily  digested  both  by  the  stomach  and  intestines,  and  do  not 
impose  much  work  upon  the  stomach,  although  they  remain  in 
it  for  some  time,  as  the  gastric  juices  do  not  digest  the  carbohy- 
drates, which  are  digested  by  the  saliva  and  intestinal  juice. 
In  cases  of  intestinal  disturbances  the  best  among  the  carbohy- 
drate foods  would  no  doubt  be  sago  or  tapioca ;  they  would  be 


240  Health  Through  Rational  Diet 

less  desirable  in  overacidity  of  the  stomach.  Since  they  are 
rather  tasteless,  and  are  not  rich  in  albumin  (0.30  to  1.13  per 
cent.),  it  would  be  desirable  to  mix  them  with  milk  or  make 
puddings  of  them  with  eggs  and  milk  or  cream.  Such  a  pud- 
ding is  most  easily  digested.  It  might  be  stated,  in  reference 
to  their  action  upon  the  intestines,  that  these  starchy  foods, 
owing  to  their  content  of  sugar,  have  the  property  of  causing 
a  lactic  acid  fermentation  in  the  intestine,  which,  so  to  speak, 
disinfects  it,  and  has  a  beneficial  effect  upon  the  entire  organ- 
ism. In  kidney  affections  they  are  a  most  excellent  food,  since 
they  contain  absolutely  nothing  which  might  prove  injurious 
to  the  kidneys ;  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  blood-vessels ;  so 
they  are  a  good  dietetic  food  in  arteriosclerosis,  as  well  as  in 
gout,  since  they  do  not  form  any  uric  acid,  being  entirely  free 
from  substances  which  produce  it.  For  delicate  persons,  these 
foods  are  ideal,  but  they  are  not  well  adapted  for  strong, 
healthy  men,  for  whom  a  carbohydrate  food  which  requires 
some  chewing,  like  hard  black  bread,  or  one  containing  cellu- 
lose in  a  sufficient  quantity  to  act  upon  the  intestine,  would  be 
preferable.  Foods  like  sago,  etc., — rich  in  carbohydrates  and 
very  easily  assimilated, — should  play  an  important  part  in  a 
vegetarian  diet,  in  which  the  cellulose  is  well  represented,  but 
the  easily  digested  forms  of  carbohydrates  less  so'.  In  this  con- 
nection, tapioca  and  sago,  corn  and  other  fine,  starchy  flour, 
would  be  ideal.  That  these  foods  would  be  poison,  so  to  speak, 
for  diabetics  is  clear.  The  sugar  contained  in  them  is  absorbed 
in  large  quantities  at  a  time,  and  the  organism  is  flooded  with 
it;  it  is  therefore  preferable  for  such  patients,  when  they  re- 
quire the  carbohydrates,  to  take  them  in  foods  containing  much 
cellulose,  so  that  the  sugar  be  only  gradually  absorbed,  and  the 
sugar-destroying  agents  in  the  body  have  time  to  convert  it 
into  an  eliminable  product.  When  we  forbid  the  use  of  these 
foods  in  obesity  and  advise  those  rich  in  cellulose,  we  are 
actuated  by  similar  motives. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    241 


(/)  Mushrooms. 

Certain  fungi,  i.e.,  edible  mushrooms,  which  are  quite 
unique  in  their  nature,  form  a  wonderful  food.  For  it  really 
is  wonderful  that  in  just  a  few  hours,  after  a  rain,  these  struc- 
tures appear  in  the  woods,  having  been  fully  developed  in  this 
short  time,  and  containing,  as  they  do,  quite  large  amounts  of 
nutritive  substance.  The  expression  "they  spring  up  like  mush- 
rooms" indicates  how  rapidly  they  really  dO'  grow;  this 
wonderful  process  will  be  better  understood  when  we  remember 
that  the  fungi  belong  to  the  same  large  class  of  plants  as  the 
bacteria;  the  latter,  we  well  know,  develop  in  enormous 
numbers  in  a  very  brief  period. 

Their  wonderfully  rapid  growth  does  not  prevent  the  for- 
mation of  large  quantities  of  valuable  nutritive  substances,  and 
many  of  the  fungi  are  very  rich  in  proteids  and  in  carbohy- 
drates. The  yellow  mushroom,  Elaphomyces  granulatus,  con- 
tains the  large  amount  of  19.19  per  cent,  of  proteids  and  47 
per  cent,  of  carbohydrates  in  the  fresh  substance,  but  of  the 
19.19  per  cent,  of  proteids  only  13.40  per  cent,  is  assimilated 
and  of  the  47  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates  about  10  per  cent,  is 
lost.  The  Fistulina  hepatica  contains  10.40  per  cent,  of  carbo- 
hydrates, of  which  more  than  2  per  cent,  is  lost.  Nevertheless, 
these  fungi  are  very  nutritious,  and  one  may  readily  under- 
stand why  mushrooms  are  considered  by  some  as  vegetable 
meats,  and  why  a  French  author — Bertillon,  I  believe — called 
them  "Gibier  sans  pattes"  (game  without  feet).  Just  like 
game,  many  of  them  live  in  the  woods  in  damp,  dark  places, 
but  among  these  many  are  poisonous.  Their  toxic  properties 
may  perhaps  frequently  be  due  to  decayed  animal  substances  or 
other  dead  organisms  in  the  ground,  which  have  been  ab- 
sorbed by  the  fungi.  Even  the  edible  varieties  of  the  latter 
may,  at  times,  have  a  poisonous  action,  as  they  become  very 
rapidly  decomposed  when  kept  for  any  length  of  time.     Just 


242  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

as  soon  as  they  are  formed  they  also  begin  to  deteriorate,  a 
property  which  they  have  in  common  with  many  other  organ- 
isms. Mushrooms  and  other  fungi  should  therefore  be  used 
when  quite  fresh,  and  to  have  them  warmed  up  a  second  time 
IS  always  very  poor  economy.  Mushrooms,  owing  to^  their 
pronounced  taste,  are  often  used  to  flavor  other  foods,  and  are 
also  helpful  for  the  digestion.  As  a  general  thing  when  eaten 
alone  they  are  very  indigestible.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
most  of  them  contain  a  large  amount  of  cellulose.  When  one 
touches  them,  their  tough  consistency  can  at  once  be  felt,  and, 
even  when  cooked,  one  feels  in  one's  mouth  that  they  contain 
a  hard  fiber,  and  cannot  be  readily  masticated.  Mushrooms 
belong  to  the  more  easily  digested  varieties ;  they  contain  only 
0.83  per  cent,  of  cellulose;  the  Cantharellus  ciborius  have  0.96 
per  cent,  of  raw  cellulose,  the  Fistulina  hepatica  0.83  per  cent., 
while  the  MorchcUa  elata  have  0.8  per  cent.  The  most  dififi- 
cult  to  digest  is  the  truffle,  which  contains  7.20  per  cent,  of 
cellulose,  and  when  dried  even  as  much  as  27  per  cent.  It  is 
really  one  of  the  most  indigestible  food  substances.  The  other 
varieties  above  mentioned  may  be  recommended  as  being 
digestible,  but  certainly  not  the  truffle.  They  are  particularly 
not  to  be  recommended,  too,  when  we  consider  the  shameless 
and  unappetizing  way  in  which  they  are  imitated.  The  best 
and  least  indigestible  variety  comes  from  Perigord,  in  France. 
The  indigestibility  of  the  truffle  does  not  prevent  its  being 
in  great  demand  by  "gourmands,"  and  France  furnishes  them 
to  the  amount  of  several  millions  of  marks  per  year. 

Although  some  varieties  of  fungi  are  very  rich  in  nitrog- 
enous substances,  only  a  portion  of  these  can  be  taken  into 
account,  since  only  62.88  per  cent,  of  the  nitrogenous  com- 
pounds include  true  protein  which  can  be  assimilated  by  the 
tissues.  Of  the  true  protein,  according  to  the  experiments  on 
man  by  Saltet  and  Uffelman  with  mushrooms  as  they  are 
usually  prepared,  only  61  to  66  per  cent,  can  be  assimilated; 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    243 

with  air-dried  and  pulverized  mushrooms  as  much  as  y2  per 
cent,  can  be  digested.  The  experiments  of  Morner  show  that 
of  the  nitrogenous  substance  contained  in  the  fungi  and  edible 
mushrooms  only  about  60  per  cent,  can  be  digested. 

We  shall  now  give,  according  to  J.  Konig,  ii,  p.  1488,  a 
list  of  fungi  and  mushrooms,  in  which  will  be  found  the  quan- 
tity of  nutrient  substances  contained  in  them,  together  with 
the  amounts  assimilated: — 


Fungi  and  mushrooms. 


In  the  fresh  substance.  ^"^llaTedf^'""* 


(££ 


^S 


O  1-1 


2 
•a 


oS 


Field  mushroom  

Cantharellus  cibarius  . . . 

La ct aria  deliciosa  

Boletus  bulbosus    

Boletus  luteus  

Fistulina   hepatica    

Elaphomyces  granulatus 

Morcella  elata  

Helvetia  laciinosa 

Truffle    


4.88 
2.64 
3.08 
5.39 
1.48 
1.59 
19.14 
3.28 
3.17 
7.57 


3.54 
3.81 
3.04 
5.12 
3.95 
10.40 
47.00 
4.50 
5.43 
6.55 


0.83 
0.96 
3.63 
1.01 
1.22 
0.83 
5.45 
0.92 
0.71 
7.25 


3.42 
1.95 
2.16 
3.77 
1.04 
1.11 
13.43 
2.30 
2.22 
5.30 


2.86 
3.05 
2.47 
4.60 
3.16 
8.32 
37.60 
3.60 
4.34 
5.26 


In  the  dried  state  the  wood-fiber  and  the  nutritive-sub^ 
stance  content  is  increased,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  following 
table :— 


Fungi  and  mushrooms. 

Cellulose. 
Per  cent. 

Protelds. 
Percent. 

Carbohy. 

drates. 
Per  cent. 

Assimi- 
lated nitro- 
gen. 
Per  cent. 

Assimllat 
ed  carbo- 
hydrates. 
Per  cent. 

Field    mushroom    

Boletus  bulbosus 

7.56 
6.87 
5.50 
5.63 
27.67 

41.69 
36.66 
28.48 
25.22 
33.89 

30.75 
34.51 
37.72 
43.30 
24.88 

29.18 
25.66 
19.94 
17.65 
23.71 

24.64 
27.61 
29.94 

Helvetia  lacunosa  

Truffle    

34.64 
19.90 

244  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

According  to  the  above  tables,  quite  a  considerable  amount 
of  nutritive  substances  is  contained  in  many  fungi  and  mush- 
rooms. Although  the  assimilation  of  the  same  is  made  diffi- 
cult by  the  amount  of  cellulose  they  contain,  this  process  is 
somewhat  aided  by  the  fact  that  a  portion  of  the  proteid  con- 
tent does  not  consist  of  protein  compounds ;  there,  nevertheless, 
remains  quite  considerable  nutritive  value.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  most  nourishing  fungi,  together  with  the  number 
of  calories  furnished  by  them : — 

Calories  contained 
Fund  and  mushrooms.  in  1000  grrams- 

Elaphomyces  granulatus 2163 

Truffle    495 

FistuUna  hepatica   393 

Boletus  bulbosus 369 

Morchella  elata 279 

Cantliarellus  cibarius   290 

Hehella  lacunosa  295 

The  varieties  containing  the  least  cellulose  are  usually 
the  most  digestible.  In  these  are  included  the  field  mushroom, 
Helvetia  lacunosa,  Morchella  data,  FistuUna  hepatica,  etc.  In 
order  to  make  them  more  digestible,  the  fungi  must  be  thor- 
oughly cooked  during  quite  a  long  time,  whereby  a  very  good 
tasting  juice  is  obtained.  The  long  cooking  sometimes  re- 
moves substances  which  might  prove  injurious;  therefore  a 
long  cooking,  and  then  leaving  the  sauce  unused,  would  be  by 
far  the  best  plan  whenever  there  is  the  least  doubt  as  to  the 
kind  and  quality  of  the  mushrooms.  According  to  Lamie, 
prolonged  cooking  will  render  even  the  poisonous  varieties 
innocuous,  and  other  authors  say  that  the  same  is  the  case 
when  they  have  been  placed  in  vinegar  or  salted.  It  is  much 
the  best,  however,  not  to  eat  such  suspicious  varieties  at  all. 
Many  rules  have  been  given  by  which  they  can  be  recognized, 
such  as  the  peculiar  and  unpleasant  odor  when  they  are  cut 
open,  the  discoloration  of  the  cut  surfaces,  and  other  peculiar!- 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    245 

ties.  But  for  the  inexperienced  gatherer  or  purchaser  these  are 
insufficient  and  not  always  infalHble. 

The  safest  plan,  in  Austria,  is  to  buy  the  mushrooms  in 
the  market,  where  they  have  been  examined  by  the  market 
inspectors. 

In  addition  to  their  frequently  high  nutritive  value  fungi 
often  contain  other  valuable  substances,  such  as  phosphorus 
and  lecithin.  The  following  is  a  list  of  a  number  of  varieties, 
with  their  content  of  these  substances,  according  to  Lietz^ : — 


Phosphorus  and  Lecithin  Content  of  Fungi. 


Fung:!. 

Total  phosphoric  acid. 

Lecithin. 

Helvella  lacu?iosa 

3.08  per  cent. 

1.41         " 

4.25 

1.37 

1.54 

1.61 

1.67 

1.78 

2.18 

1.641 
1.335 
0.935 
0.377 
0.583 
0.381 
1.388 
0.786 
1.399 

nf^r  rAnt 

Cantharelliis  tubceformis 

Mushroom 

Field  mushroom 

German  white  truffle 

Lactaria  scrobiculata 

Hygrophorus  ficoides 

Another  valuable  property  of  the  fungi  and  mushrooms 
is  that  they  contain  considerable  amounts  of  various  nutrient 
salts.  Some  of  them  contain  much  iron — the  truffle,  for  in- 
stance, which  is  rich  in  salts  in  general.  The  mineral-salt 
content  of  the  truffle,  which  is  really  a  plant  growing  in  the 
earth,  may  depend  upon  the  composition  of  the  soil  in  which 
they  grow.  Besides  the  truffles  the  Helvella  lacunosa  and  the 
Boletus  varieties  are  also  very  rich  in  nutrient  salts. 

The  follov/ing  table  shows  that  fungi  are  especially  rich  in 
lime  and  phosphorus,  and  also  contain  quite  considerable 
amounts  of  iron : — 


1  After  Konig. 


246 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


Nutrient  Salt  Content  of  Several  Varieties  of  Fungi,  Accord- 
ing TO   KOHLRAUCH  AND   LOESCHKE. 


S 

2 

.5 

i 

.2 

.■2 

o 

0) 

% 

1 

i 

2 

1 

a 
o 

1^ 

O 
1 

.2 

i 

Field  mushroom  . 

5.20 

50.11 

1.69 

5.75  0.53  1.16' 15.43 

29.23 

1.42 

4.58 

Truffle 

8.69 
9.03 

54.21 
50.40 

1.61 
2.30 

4.95  2.34  6.51 

32.96 
39.10 

1.17 
1.58 

1.14 
1.09 

0  16 

Helvella  lacunosa 

0.78|l.27 

1.00 

0.89 

Morcella  elafa  . . . 

9.42 

49.57 

0.39 

1.59 

1.10 

1.86 

39.03 

1.89 

0.87 

2.02 

Boletus  varieties.. 

8.46 

55.38 

2.53 

3.47 

2.31 

1.06 

23.22 

10.69 

When  we  consider  the  great  nutritive  value  of  the  fungi 
and  mushrooms,  their  content  of  important  substances,  such 
as  lecithin,  as  well  as  of  many  nutrient  salts,  they  must  be 
regarded  as  an  excellent  food.  Their  use  is  to  be  particularly 
recommended  as  component  of  a  vegetable  diet,  but  a  good 
stomach  and  intestine  are  required  for  their  digestion. 


{k')  Green  Vegetables. 

I.  Concerning  Vegetables  Growing  Above  and  In  the  Ground. 

When  a  vegetable  grown  above  the  ground,  such  as 
spinach,  is  cooked  as  it  is,  without  the  addition  of  any  water, 
one  will  be  surprised  at  the  quantity  of  fluid  that  will  gather 
in  the  cooking  utensil.  This  is  the  water  which  is  present  in 
considerable  quantities  in  spinach  and  all  of  the  vegetables  that 
are  grown  above  ground ;  in  fact,  they  consist  principally  of 
water:  8o  to  92  per  cent.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  an  animal 
which  feeds  upon  leaves  and  green  vegetables  does  not  need 
to  drink  water;  when  rabbits  and  guinea-pigs  are  fed  in  this 
way  they  do  not  drink,  but  if  they  are  fed  upon  grains  they 
must  have  water.  Very  much  the  same  thing  is  the  case  with 
man,  and  consequently  in  diabetes  large  quantities  of  green 
vegetables  should  be  taken.  Normal  persons  can  also'  with 
such  al  diet  prevent  thirst  in  the  summer;  another  advantage 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    247 

is  that  the  fluid  in  vegetables  enters  the  circulation  gradually, 
so  that  it  is  not  suddenly  overcharged,  as  it  is  when  the  liquid 
is  taken  all  at  once  in  the  form  of  water  or  beer.  In  cases 
where  the  addition  of  large  amounts  of  fluid  is  contraindi- 
cated,  as  in  heart  affections  or  arteriosclerosis,  vegetables  may 
prove  beneficial,  but  care  should  be  exercised  in  selecting  those 
which  do  not  cause  flatulence. 

The  nutritive  substances  contained  in  the  leaf  vegetables 
grown  above  ground  include  only  small  amounts  of  nitrogen, — 
from  2  to  4  per  cent., — which,  when  we  include  the  unripe 
leguminous  vegetables,  may  amount  to  7  per  cent., — also'  small 
quantities  of  sugar  (up  to  2  per  cent.)  and  other  carbohydrates, 
— 6  to  10  per  cent,  in  some  varieties.  Unfortunately  the  cellu- 
lose content  is  quite  large,  so  that  the  assimilation  is  poorly 
accomplished.  Since  the  process  of  cooking  removes  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  these  nutritive  substances  and  also  of  the 
nutrient  salts,  the  nourishing  properties  of  these  vegetables  are 
greatly  diminished;  indeed,  such  leafy  vegetables  are  less 
chosen  for  their  nutritive  value  than  for  other  desirable  prop- 
erties we  shall  now  mention. 

The  following  table  by  Konig  (ii,  p.  925)  shows  the 
nutrient  content  of  various  vegetables  of  this  sort: — 


Cauliflower 5 

Butter  cabbage I  1 

Winter  cabbage '  2 

Bnissels  sprouts 2 

Savoy  cabbage '  4 

Red  cabbage 1 

White  cabbage 

Spinach 

Asparagus 


Green  garden  peas  (un- 
ripe seeds) 

Green  puff  beans  (unripe 
seeds) 


String  beans    (not  dry, 
ripe) 


^Z 


90.89 
86.96 
80.03 
85.63 
87.09 
90.06 
90.11 
89.24 
93.75 


77.67 
84.07 


2.48 
3.01 
3.99 
4.83 
3.31 
1.83 
1.83 
3.71 
1.79 

6.59 
5.43 


0.34  1.2ll  3.34 

0.54  1.47]  5.72 
0.90  1.21  10.42 

0.46  ....I  6.22 

0.71  1.29  4.73 

0.19  1.74  4.12 

0.18  1.92  3.13 

0.50  0.10  3.51 

0.25,0.371  2.26 


12.43 
7.35 


2.72    0.14  1.161  5.44    1.18  0.61  0.146    0 


ja  ^     o  u 

ca  0)1   .fl  4) 
<JCU|   0.(1. 

0.91  0.83  0.150 
1.20  1.10  0.152 
1.88  1.57  0.263 
1.57|  1.29;  0.282 
1.23' 1.64  0.207 
1.29  0.77  1.112 
1.6.5,1.1810.125 
0.94  2.00 
1.04,0.54 


0.089 
0.070 
0.102 
0.138 

0.088 
0.062 
0.038 


1.94^0.85 
2.08  0.74 


0.041 


0.331  j 
0.178  I  0.020 


In  the  dry 
substance. 


27.63 
23.06 
18.46 
33.44 
25.67 
18.44 
18.50 
34.49 
28.77 

29.51 


,53  S 


49.94 
55.14 
61.04 
47.22 
47.41 
58.95 
51.06 
33.55 
42.08 


248 


Health  Through  Ratio n-al  Diet. 


The  great  quantity  of  nutrient  salts  contained  in  these 
vegetables  plays  a  more  important  part  than  the  nitrogen  or 
carbohydrate  content. 

Head  salad  contains  much  lime,  about  37.63  in  the  pure 
ash,  and  also  much  iron — 5.31  per  cent.  Owing  to  their  high 
content  in  alkaline  salts,  green  vegetables  exert  a  considerable 
influence  upon  the  composition  of  the  blood,  which  they  alka- 
linize.  In  very  acid  urine,  this  increased  alkalinity  of  the 
blood  greatly  diminishes  the  acidity,  and  with  large  quantities 
of  such  food  the  urine  may  even  become  alkaline.  A  similar 
result  is  brought  about  by  the  large  amounts  of  organic  acids 
which  occur  either  in  the  free  state  or  in  combination  with 
alkalies,  and  are  converted  into  carbohydrate  combinations  by 
combustion  in  the  body.  The  juice  of  head  salad  contains 
potassium  citrate :  tomato  juice  also  contains  mainly  citric  acid. 
The  ash  content  of  several  varieties  of  leafy  vegetables  is  as 
follows : — 

Nutrient  Salt  Content  of  Several  Varieties  of  Cabbage, 
According  to  Konig.^ 


O  4) 
PhO, 


Is 


SO. 


04    cu 


J32  U 

fSS 

CO       04 


3o 


|8 


Cauliflower 

White  cabbage 

(outsideleaves) 
Hearts   of   white 

cabbage  .... 

Spinach 

Head  salad 


26.37 

22.14 

37.82 
16.56 
17.63 


10.24 

12.10 

14.42 

35.24 

7.54 


18.68 

27.88 

9.36 
11.87 
14.68 


2.30  0.30 
4.44  0.10 


3.52 
6.38 
6.14 


0.15 
3.35 
5.31 


13.08 

3.88 

12.30 
10.25 
9.19 


11.41 

15.31 

15.46 
6.82 
3.76 


12.84     6.07 
10.80    13.68 


6.97 
4.52  6.29 
8.14!    7.65 


In  order,  however,  that  the  important  nutrient  salt  con- 
tent of  such  vegetables  shall  not  be  lost,  a  proper  method  of 
cooking  is  required.     When  boiled  in  water — especially  pure 


»K6nig,  ii,  p.  927. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    249 

water — without  salt,  the  nutrient  salts  are  drawn  out,  and  fre- 
quently this  water  is  then  thrown  away.  The  best  way  would 
be  to  cook  such  vegetables  in  utensils  in  which  the  water  does 
not  come  into  contact  with  the  vegetables,  and  where  it  is 
principally  the  steam  which  acts  upon  the  food — as  is  the  case 
with  the  Wolf  cooking  apparatus — or  when  the  vegetables  are 
steamed  according  to  the  English  custom.  In  Austria  and 
Hungary  they  are  prepared  with  much  browned  butter  and 
very  little  water,  which  is  quite  to  the  purpose,  as  very  little 
of  the  nutrient  salts  is  thus  lost. 

Proper  cooking  is  all  the  more  important  for  such  foods, 
since  the  intestinal  assimilation  is  dependent  upon  it.  When 
some  of  the  nutrient  properties  are  lost  in  cooking,  and  others 
through  the  insufficient  assimilation  in  the  intestine,  these  foods 
lose  much  of  their  value. 

The  more  raw  fiber  vegetables  contain,  the  less  they  are 
assimilated  in  the  intestine.  Experiments  were  made  by 
Rubner  with  curled  Savoy  cabbage  and  green  beans  in  respect 
to  their  assimilation,  with  the  result  that  of  the  harder  portion 
of  the  Savoy  cabbage  14.9  per  cent,  of  the  nitrogen  and  15.4 
per  cent,  of  the  carbohydrates  were  lost,  and  of  the  beans  15 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen  and  15  per  cent,  of  the  carbohydrates  of 
the  hard  portions  remained  unassimilated. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  green  vegetables  be 
thoroughly  cleansed  before  using  them,  since  a  number  ol 
bacteria  and  unclean  substances  of  all  kinds  adhere  to  them. 
The  thorough  washing  of  the  salads  which  are  eaten  raw  is  of 
the  greatest  importance.  Worms  are  often  found  in  carelessly 
cleaned  vegetables.  When  not  sufficiently  cooked,  tiny  snails, 
which  are  sometimes  found  in  vegetables,  may  prove  injurious. 
In  this  way  the  green  vegetables  instead  of  benefiting  the  health 
may  prove  detrimental. 

When  well  prepared  and  properly  cooked,  green  vegetables 
may  often  be  very  useful  as  remedial  herbs.    We  have  already 


250  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

shown  that  they  increase  the  alkahnity  of  the  blood;  in  this 
way  affections  Hke  gout  and  diabetes,  in  which  there  is  acidity 
of  the  blood,  may  be  much  benefited.  We  might  add  that,  as 
remedial  agents,  vegetables — in  addition  to  this  important  in- 
crease of  alkalinity — exert,  owing  to  their  cellulose,  a  very 
favorable  action  upon  the  intestines,  thus  preventing  or  benefit- 
ing constipation.  Since  the  most  remote  times  many  curative 
properties  have  been  ascribed  to  green  vegetables,  and  the 
medicinal  treasures  of  the  old  masters  of  healing  contained 
many  of  the  vegetables  now  in  use.  In  the  progress  of  the 
science  of  medicine,  with  the  painstaking  experiments  of  the 
present  day,  their  claims  have  been  set  aside.  Nearly  all  of 
the  green  vegetables,  however,  have  the  property  of  alkaliniz- 
ing  the  blood  and  improving  the  action  of  the  bowels;  the 
majority  also  have  a  more  or  less  favorable  effect  upon  diuresis, 
and  some  contain  substances  which  stimulate  the  digestion. 
In  this  way  they  exert  more  of  a  curative  action  than  almost 
any  other  food  substance.  In  the  diet  of  diabetics,  gouty  pa- 
tients, and  those  suffering  from  arteriosclerosis,  green  vege- 
tables occupy  a  first  place. 

As  regards  the  very  useful  and  nutritive  salt  content,  it 
would  be  well  if  one  could  extract  the  juices  of  the  vegetables 
as  is  done  with  fruits.  Should  the  taste  not  prove  very  agree- 
able, other  substances  might  be  added,  for  instance  a  few  drops 
of  lemon  juice,  or  whenever  practicable  a  little  of  some  other 
fruit  syrup.  These  extracts  could  then  be  taken  as  curative 
substances.  This  would  present  the  advantage  that  the  indi- 
gestibility  of  certain  vegetables  need  not  at  all  be  taken  into 
account.  The  exclusion  of  certain  substances  and  a  thorough 
cleansing  before  the  pressing  out  of  the  juices  would  be  an 
obvious  necessity.  Since  the  nutrient  value  of  such  vegetables 
is  rather  limited  to  begin  with,  the  nutrient  salts  would  in  this 
way  be  fully  utilized. 

We  must,  however,  not  overlook  the  fact  that  in  addition 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances,    251 

to  their  many  good  properties  green  vegetables  also  possess 
some  undesirable  ones.  Some  herbs,  such  as  sorrel,  contain 
much  oxalic  acid,  and  the  alkali nizing  property  is  also'  not  al- 
ways desirable,  as  for  instance  in  phosphaturia.  The  indigesti- 
bility  of  certain  vegetables  must  also  be  taken  into  account,  as 
is  the  case  with  roots,  stalks,  etc.,  which  contain  much  cellulose. 
The  most  easily  digested'  are  the  tender  fresh  vegetables  and 
those  cultivated  in  greenhouses,  and  also  in  gardens.  Those 
growing  in  the  wild  state — as  is  also  the  case  with  wild 
animals — are  less  tender,  and  often  contain  more  pungent  sub- 
stances. These  varieties,  digested  with  difficulty,  may  be 
rendered  more  suitable  for  consumption  by  keeping  them  in 
dark  places,  as  in  a  cellar  from  which  the  light  is  excluded ;  in 
this  way,  although  they  lose  their  color,  the  chlorophyll,  the 
fibers  become  more  tender.  Thus,  salad  when  raised  in  a 
cellar  is  very  much  more  easily  masticated  and  digested,  and 
the  taste  is  also  less  acrid. 

Some  vegetables,  and  in  particular  those  of  the  cabbage 
family,  cause  considerable  flatulence.  Among  these,  cauli- 
flower is  probably  the  most  easily  digested.  We  may  mention 
here  that  vegetables  have  the  property  of  taking  up  a  large 
amount  of  fat,  their  nutritive  quality  being  thereby  much  in- 
creased. 

We  shall  now  refer  to  certain  individual  vegetables,  al- 
though only  the  most  important  varieties,  the  scope  of  this 
work  not  permitting  us  to  dwell  upon  all  of  them. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the  leaf  vegetables  is 
spinach,  which  is  in  general  very  easily  digested ;  for  this  it  is 
necessary  that  the  spinach  be  prepared  as  a  smooth  puree,  and 
not  served  with  the  leaves  entire,  as  is  the  custom  in  some 
countries,  in  which  form  it  is  less  digestible. 

Spinach  very  readily  gives  off  its  coloring  matter,  and  is 
consequently  well  adapted  for  the  coloring  of  soups,  etc.  It 
absorbs  large  amounts  of  fat,  and  tastes  very  good  when  goose- 


252  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

fat  is  added  to  it,  as  was  so  often  proven  to  his  guests  by  the 
writer  Alexander  Dumas — who  prepared  it  in  person.  It  is 
said  that  spinach  tastes  better  when  wanned  over.  By  the 
addition  of  eggs  the  nutritive  value  is  increased.  A  very  prac-  ■ 
lical  method  and  one  of  much  dietetic  value  is  to  add  the  yolks 
of  two  eggs  to  the  spinach,  stirring  them  in;  this  also  greatly 
improves  the  taste.  There  is  scarcely  any  other  vegetable 
which  is  so  prized  in  the  practice  of  dietetics  as  spinach,  and  in 
cures,  as  at  Carlsbad,  it  plays  an  important  role.  It  greatly 
favors  the  action  of  the  bowels,  and  certainly  induces  less 
flatulence  than  most  other  vegetables  of  the  cabbage  group. 
But  even  so  desirable  an  article  of  diet  as  spinach  is  not  with- 
out its  drawbacks.  It  is  frequently  the  cause  of  oxalic  acid 
formation.  I  have  very  often  observed  the  presence  of  oxalic 
acid  in  the  urine  of  my  patients  at  Carlsbad.  In  healthy 
persons,  of  course,  this  is  of  no  importance,  especially  in  those 
who  often  show  oxalic  acid  in  the  urine. 

Much  more  oxalic  acid — the  largest  amount  contained  in 
any  vegetable — is  present  in  sorrel,  which  fact  should  be  taken 
into  account  when  the  latter  is  used.  This  vegetable  has  a 
very  sour  taste.  It  is  best  eaten  in  puree  form.  Sorrel  some- 
times causes  intestinal  or  gastric  disturbances  when  taken  in 
combination  with  sour  fruit. 

Water  cress  also  contains  an  acrid  substance.  It  has  long 
been  credited  with  the  property  of  stimulating  the  secretion  of 
saliva  and  cleansing  the  mouth,  for  which  reason  it  has  often 
been  used  in  ulcers  of  the  mouth.  Cress  stimulates  the  appe- 
tite, and  is  often  served  with  fine  roasts.  It  is  digested  the 
most  easily  when  taken  in  the  form  of  a  puree.  This  vegetable 
was  in  great  favor  among  the  ancient  Persians,  as  well  as  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  not  only  as  a  food,  but  also  as  a  medicinal 
agent.  The  name  "sante  du  corps"  (health  of  the  body), 
which  was  given  to  it  by  the  French,  shows  how  greatly  it  was 
esteemed  by  them.    It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  this  vegetable, 


Good  and  Ezil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    253 

which  was  first  cultivated  in  Germany  at  Erfurt,  was  seen  there 
by  an  officer  of  Napoleon's  army  named  Cardon,  who  intro- 
duced it  into  France.  In  the  latter  country  it  is  eaten  in  con- 
siderable amounts  at  almost  every  meal;  in  Austria  and 
Germany,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  used  comparatively  seldom. 

Water  cress  requires  much  water  in  order  to  thrive.  It 
should  be  mentioned,  however,  that  when  the  watery  soil  in 
which  it  grows  becomes  contaminated  with  drain  water  con- 
taining the  bacilli  of  typhoid  fever,  as  is  not  infrequently  the 
case,  it  may  transmit  the  disease.  Cress  is  sometimes  used  for 
its  medicinal  properties.  It  contains  important  substances, 
such  as  iodine,  iron,  etc.  Its  juice  is  claimed  by  certain  authors 
to  be  useful  in  many  skin  diseases :  very  stubborn  cases  of 
eczema  are  said  to  have  been  cured  with  it.  In  constipation  it 
has    a    favorable    action,    and    also'    stimulates    the    appetite. 

Another  vegetable  which  improves  the  appetite  is  parsley. 
It  stimulates  the  sense  of  taste  and  helps  the  digestion;  it  is 
much  used  for  soups,  sauces,  and  as  an  addition  to  many  foods 
that  would  seem  rather  tasteless  without  it.  It  alsO'  promotes 
the  flow  of  urine  and  augments  the  perspiration.  Apiol,  which 
is  used  in  menstrual  disorders,  hysteria,  etc.,  is  obtained  from 
parsley. 

A  much-used  vegetable  is  celery,  which  also  has  a  stimu- 
lating action.  As  a  remedial  agent  it  is  beneficial  in  flatulence, 
and  for  this  purpose  a  kind  of  preserve  is  made  from  celery 
stalks.  It  is  also  a  generally  accepted  fact,  especially  in  the 
Latin  countries,  that  celery  exerts  a  stimulating  effect  upon 
sexual  activity. 

In  some  countries — as  in  England — celery  is  frequently 
eaten  raw  at  the  end  of  the  meal.  In  this  form  it  is  certainly 
not  very  easily  digested.  In  England  and  America  it  is  also 
used  as  a  salad ;  during  my  stay  in  America  I  often  had  occa- 
sion to  take  it  mixed  with  grapes  in  a  sort  of  mayonnaise. 

Owing  to  a  bitter  substance  contained  in  it,  chicory  also 


254  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

has  a  favorable  action  upon  the  appetite.  It  is  interesting  to 
see  with  what  avidity  animals,  especially  pigs,  will  devoiu- 
cliicory  growing  wild.  Probably  their  instinct  tells  them  that 
it  is  a  useful  plant.  The  roots  in  particular  are  very  bitter. 
Animals  which  feed  upon  these  plants  are  thereby  protected 
against  skin  diseases.  Chicory  has  a  strengthening  influence 
upon  weak  animals.  In  some  countries,  as  in  Belgium,  espe- 
cially in  Brussels  and  its  vicinity,  this  plant  is  extensively  cul- 
tivated. A  special  variety  is  raised  there  which,  when  kept  in 
the  dark,  becomes  more  digestible,  having  tender  fibers  and 
also  a  finer  taste ;  Brussels  chicory  is  renowned  for  this  reason. 
Owing  to  the  bitter  substance  contained  in  it,  chicory,  when 
well  cooked,  has  a  favorable  action  upon  the  digestive  proc- 
esses, but  if  eaten  as  a  salad  it  is  very  indigestible.  When  the 
roots  have  been  dried,  then  roasted  and  finely  ground,  a  well- 
known,  although  not  universally  liked,  substitute  for  coffee  is 
obtained.  It  is  surprising  that  this  substitute,  which  so  fre- 
quently gives  rise  to  much  disappointment  when  a  good  cup  of 
coffee  is  expected,  should  have  been  placed  upon  the  market 
in  the  very  country  where  generally  the  best  coffee  in  Europe 
is  drunk,  viz.,  in  Holland. 

Endive  is  a  variety  of  chicory  which  is  even  more  bitter. 
It  is  cultivated  chiefly  in  Holland.  It  contains  2.78  per  cent, 
of  nitrogen,  0.76  per  cent,  of  sugar,  1.19  per  cent,  of  other 
carbohydrates,  and  0.82  per  cent,  of  cellulose. 

Two  varieties  of  herbs  have  already  been  mentioned  that 
are  rich  in  O'xalic  acid ;  we  shall  now  add  rhubarb,  which,  like 
celery,  is  much  used  in  England.  Rhubarb  is,  however,  not 
easily  digested;  owing  to  its  acid  content,  it,  like  sorrel,  very 
often  has  an  unfavorable  action  upon  the  stomach.  Owing  to 
the  acid  contained  in  it,  its  use  should  be  forbidden  in  kidney 
affections  and  particularly  in  oxaluria.  According  to  Konig, 
it  contains  0.82  per  cent,  of  nitrogen,  0.18  per  cent,  of  sugar, 
and  0.52  per  cent,  of  cellulose,  together  with  0.78  per  cent,  of 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    255 

oxalic  acid  in  the  fresh  substance  and  14.23  per  cent,  in  the 
dry  substance,  and  mahc  acid  in  the  stalks  and  leaf-stems; 
3.28  per  cent,  of  sugar  is  also  contained  in  the  dry  substance. 

A  very  delicious  vegetable,  and  probably  one  of  the  most 
prized  of  all,  is  asparagus.  As  a  nourishing  food  it  is  not,  to 
be  sure,  of  very  great  value,  since  it  only  contains  0.47  per 
cent,  of  sugar,  2.80  per  cent,  of  other  carbohydrates,  and  a 
rather  large  amount — 1.54  per  cent. — of  cellulose.  The  young 
shoots  are  most  easily  digested,  as  are  also  the  tips  and  upper 
portions  of  the  asparagus;  the  lower  portion  contains  much 
fiber  and  is  therefore  indigestible. 

Already  in  the  time  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  asparagus  was 
held  in  great  esteem  among  high  livers,  as  stated  by  Theo^- 
phrastos,  and  its  high  price  even  now  practically  restricts 
its  use  to  such  circles.  It  is  a  luxury  among  vegetables, 
having  almost  no  nutritive  value.  When  added  to  other 
foods,  as  in  a  mixture  of  eggs  with  asparagiis  tips,  it  improves 
the  taste,  stimulates  the  appetite,  and  is,  in  this  way,  useful. 
Asparagus  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  iron,  which  con- 
stitutes about  3.38  per  cent,  of  the  ash.  It  is  also  rich  in  certain 
other  nutrient  salts — containing,  according  to  Konig,^  in  the 
ash  24.04  per  cent,  of  potash,  17.07  per  cent,  of  soda,  10.85 
per  cent,  of  lime,  4.32  per  cent,  of  magnesia,  3.38  per  cent,  of 
iron  oxide,  18.57  P^'*  c^^'^^-  o^  phosphoric  acid,  6.18  per  cent. 
of  sulphuric  acid,  and  10.9  per  cent,  of  silicic  acid.  It  very 
often  contains  even  much  more  potash  than  the  amount  stated. 

Asparagus  contains  an  amido-compound — asparagin — to 
which  an  influence  upon  glycogen  formation  is  ascribed,  and 
which  is  said  to  exert  a  favorable  action  in  diabetes.  It  should 
be  remembered,  however,  that  asparagus  greatly  increases  the 
flow  of  urine,  and,  when  diabetics  pass  very  much  urine,  aspara- 
gus is  not  to  be  recommended  for  them.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  its  use  in  kidney  affections,  catarrh  of  the  bladder, 

1  After  Konig,  ii,  p.  924. 


256  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

strangury,  and  diseases  of  the  prostate.  When  asparagus  has 
been  eaten  the  urine  has  a  peculiar,  unpleasant  odor,  but  when 
a  few  drops  of  turpentine  are  added  this  ia  changed  into  an 
agreeable  violet  perfume. 

Asparagus  when  freshly  cut — particularly  in  May — has 
rather  an  agreeable  aroma,  and,  even  though  cut  for  some 
little  time,  it  will  preserve  this  aroma  when  kept  in  a  damp 
place,  standing  in  sand  with  the  tips  up.  The  property  of 
promoting  sexual  activity  has  frequently  been  ascribed  to  it. 
Asparagus  tips  in  syrup  were  used  by  Broussais  to  quiet  cardiac 
action. 

Asparagus  tastes  much  the  best  when  freshly  cut.  It  soon 
loses  its  flavor,  and  when  used  canned  or  bottled  is  not  nearly 
so  good.  It  is  pretty  rich  in  extractives  and  promotes  the  for- 
mation of  uric  acid,  as  it  contains  0.25  per  cent,  of  purin  bodies. 
It  is  consequently  not  well  adapted  for  gouty  patients. 

In  the  treatment  of  gout,  obesity,  and  often  in  diabetes, 
the  above-named  vegetables  are  useful,  since,  because  of  their 
bulk,  they  appease  hunger  without  greatly  increasing  metabo- 
lism, as  they  contain  only  small  amounts  of  nutritive  sub- 
stances. Some  varieties  contain  more  of  these  than  others,  but 
besides  these  so  much  cellulose  that  the  intestinal  juices  cannot 
well  act  upon  them.  They  are  consequently  not  readily  taken 
up  into  the  blood.  The  oyster  plant  belongs  to  this  class.  It 
contains  80.39  P^^  cent,  of  water,  only  1.09  per  cent,  of  protein, 
but  2.29  per  cent,  of  sugar  and  12.61  per  cent,  of  other  carbo- 
hydrates. The  cellulose  content  is  large,  amounting  to  2.27 
per  cent.  In  the  dry  substance  this  vegetable  contains  5.31  per 
cent,  of  protein  and  75.97  per  cent,  carbohydrates.  Notwith- 
standing the  considerable  carbohydrate  content,  it  is  not  in- 
jurious for  diabetics,  since  it  contains  much  inulin,  the  primary 
substance  of  fruit-sugar,  which  is  frequently  much  better  borne. 
This  vegetable  is  also  poorly  assimilated,  which  is  usually  an 
advantage  in  diabetes.    After  its  use  I  have  frequently  noticed 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    257 

quite  normal  looking  fragments  of  oyster  plant  in  the  feces, 
which  would  indicate  that  it  should  be  classed  among  the  least 
nutritious  vegetables.  Of  the  14.81  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates 
only  12.44  P^r  cent,  are  assimilated  (Konig).  It  has  still 
another  advantage,  namely,  that  it  is  very  satisfying;  when 
fried  in  plenty  of  butter  it  is  a  very  palatable  food.  For  gouty 
patients  and  obese  persons,  it  would  be  a  desirable  food,  since 
not  very  much  of  it  can  be  eaten,  but  in  obesity  not  much  butter 
should  be  added.  The  young  shoots  of  hops  are  also  a  very 
good  food. 

Artichokes  are  very  rich  in  carbohydrates,  especially  in 
the  lower  portions  of  the  vegetable.  They  contain  15  per  cent, 
of  carbohydrate,  of  which  0.57  per  cent,  is  glucose  and  2.84 
per  cent,  dextrose.  The  nitrogen  content  is  1.68  per  cent.  The 
lower  part  of  the  vegetable^  contains  0.21  per  cent,  glucose  and 
2.06  per  cent,  dextrose,  with  2.54  per  cent,  of  protein. 

The  lower  portion  of  the  artichoke  is  that  chiefly  used. 
It  may  be  prepared  in  the  form  of  a  puree,  and  is  easily 
digested  in  this  way.  We  may  here  mention  the  rather  large 
content  of  tannic  acid,  which  turns  the  knife  black. 

The  cabbage  family  is  poorer  in  carbohydrates,  but  con- 
tains more  protein  than  the  above-named  vegetables,  some- 
times as  much  as  9  per  cent,  or  even  more.  Their  content  of 
nutrient  salts  is  even  more  important.  The  various  kinds  of 
cabbage  occupy  a  prominent  place  among  our  vegetable  foods, 
but  have  the  disadvantage  that  they  are,  in  general,  not  easily 
digested.  The  top  of  the  cauliflower  is  the  best  in  this  con- 
nection, and  when  it  is  well  cooked  it  almost  melts  in  the 
mouth.  The  lower  part  is  more  difficult  to  digest,  and  the 
upper  portion  is  all  that  should  be  eaten.  Cauliflower,  like  all 
the  cabbage  variety,  has  the  property  of  causing  considerable 
flatulence;  indeed,  this  class  of  vegetable  does  so  more  than 
almost  any  other  food. 

1  Konig,  ii,  p.  925. 

IT 


258  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

When  the  ground  has  been  well  fertilized,  cauliflower 
sometimes  attains  an  almost  incredible  size.  Specimens  of  this 
sort  can  be  seen  in  the  neighborhood  of  Frankfort  and  Nassau. 
Cauliflower  is  rich  in  potash,  lime,  phosphorus  (13  per  cent.), 
with  12,81  per  cent,  of  silicic  acid  in  the  ash. 

A  rather  easily  digested  variety  of  cabbage  is  Brussels 
sprouts ;  the  finest  specimens  are  found  in  Belgium,  which  coun- 
try is,  so  to  speak,  really  one  large  vegetable  garden.  Here 
and  in  Holland  probably  the  best  vegetables  in  the  world  are 
grown.  Brussels  sprouts  are  a  very  interesting  variety  among 
the  cabbages ;  the  plant  shoots  up  like  a  tree  among  its  brothers 
in  the  vegetable  patch,  and  clustering  around  its  stalk  are  found 
the  little  rose-like  flowers.  In  the  Gennan  language  it  is  called 
"rose  cabbage."  The  taste,  like  that  of  the  cauliflower,  is  very 
pleasant,  and  it  is  quite  nourishing,  since  it  contains  4.81  per 
cent,  of  protein.  In  this  connection,  however,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  a  considerable  part  of  this  vegetable  is  not 
made  up  of  protein  combinations  and  is  consequently  not  as- 
similated. Of  the  6.22  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates  only  about 
5.22  per  cent,  is  absorbed.  But,  even  so,  Brussels  sprouts  are 
nourishing  and  easily  digested,  and  probably  cause  rather  less 
flatulence  than  the  other  varieties  of  cabbage.  It  would  be 
desirable  to  have  this  very  useful  vegetable  cultivated  to  a 
greater  extent  in  Austria.  The  nutritive  properties  of  both 
the  cauliflower  and  Brussels  sprouts  are  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  customary  addition  of  a  good  deal  of  butter,  of  which 
Brussels  sprouts  in  particular  take  up  a  considerable  quantity. 
For  diabetics  the  cabbage  family  are  excellent  vegetables,  and 
cauliflower  in  particular  should  occupy  a  prominent  place  in 
the  bill  of  fare  of  diabetic  patients. 

The  red  and  white  cabbages  are  poorer  in  nutritive  prop- 
erties than  the  above-named  varieties.  They  contain  less  than 
2  per  cent,  of  protein,  with  2  per  cent,  of  sugar,  and  3  to  4 
per  cent,  other  carbohydrates.    They  must  be  well  cooked,  for 


Good  and  Einl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    259 

they  are  hard  to  digest ;  when  thoroughly  cooked,  red  cabbage 
is  somewhat  improved  in  this  respect.  Since  these  two  vege- 
tables are  not  nourishing,  it  is  rather  necessary  to<  add  some 
fat  to  them.  They  contain  quite  an  amount  of  the  nutritive 
salts.  The  outer  leaves  of  white  cabbage  contain  much  lime 
(27.88  per  cent.),  and  the  heart  contains  37.82  per  cent,  of 
potash  and  12.30  per  cent,  of  phosphorus.  Neither  the  taste 
nor  the  digestibility  of  white  cabbage  is  calculated  to  make  it 
a  popular  vegetable.  It  is  only  made  so  when,  by  a  process  of 
fermentation,  it  has  been  converted  into  sauerkraut.  In  this 
way  it  becomes  a  useful  vegetable,  which  we  shall  now 
consider. 

2.  The  Advantages  of  Sauerkraut. 

Sauerkraut  is  by  some  considered  very  indigestible.  This 
is,  however,  not  the  case  when  it  has  been  properly  prepared. 
It  is  made  by  adding  3  per  cent,  of  common  salt  to  white  cab- 
bage, which  withdraws  a  quantity  of  fluid  from  the  latter.  All 
varieties  of  cabbage  contain  quite  a  considerable  quantity  of 
fluid.  Heavy  weights  are  laid  upon  the  cabbage  after  packing 
it  in  kegs,  and  so  much  fluid  is  pressed  out  that  the  cabbage 
fairly  bathes  in  it.  When  kept  at  a  temperature  of  11°  C.  it 
ferments  by  means  of  yeast  and  bacteria;  the  sugar  is  fer- 
mented, and  lactic  acid  is  formed.  This  acts  upon  the  fibers  of 
the  cabbage,  and  after  a  time  they  are  softened.  When  it  is 
very  thoroughly  cooked  the  fibers  are  still  further  softened, 
thus  making  out  of  this  indigestible  vegetable  the  much  more 
digestible  sauerkraut.  It  has,  further,  the  advantage  due  to  its 
lactic  acid  of  exerting  a  kind  of  disinfecting  process  in  the 
intestine.  In  many  cases  of  intestinal  catarrh,  especially  when 
large  quantities  of  decomposition  products  are  present,  sauer- 
kraut may  have  a  favorable  action,  and  I  have  several  times 
observed  very  good  results  following  its  use.  It  might  also 
be  added  that  the  pleasant  sour  taste  has  a  stimulating  effect 


260  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

upon  the  appetite,  especially  in  cases  where  the  stomach  is  in 
good  condition.  This  applies  also  to  cases  in  which  the  loss  of 
appetite  is  due  to  such  influences  as  depressed  spirits,  over- 
work, etc.,  in  which  cases,  also,  no  gastric  juice  is  secreted. 
Here  the  pleasantly  piquant  taste  of  sauerkraut  may  have  a 
beneficial  effect,  and  in  several  such  cases  I  have  had  good 
results  when  one  or  two>  tablespoonfuls  of  sauerkraut  were 
taken  at  the  beginning  of  the  meal.  In  order,  however,  that 
these  beneficial  effects  may  follow,  care  should  be  taken  not  to 
throw  away  all  of  the  juice  and  then  serve  the  sauerkraut  quite 
dry,  as  is  unfortunately  frequently  the  case  in  restaurants  and 
even  in  private  houses.  In  this  way  the  useful  lactic  acid  con- 
tent is  diminished;  this  juice  also  has  a  very  refreshing  and 
pleasant  taste.  When  cleanliness  is  exercised  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  sauerkraut  this  lactic-acid-laden  juice  would  be  a  very 
useful  drink,  just  as  is  the  juice  of  pickled  cucumbers.  I  found 
that  when  during  the  hot  summer  days  I  had  no'  appetite  I 
could  stimulate  it  by  taking  a  little  of  this  juice.  Of  course, 
the  salt  has  something  to  do  with  this.  It  is  necessary  that  not 
more  than  3  per  cent,  of  salt  be  added.  I  have  also  noted  that 
the  addition  of  sour  milk  or  cream  or  jogurt  to  the  cooked 
sauerkraut  was  very  useful,  its  nutritive  value,  which  is  other- 
wise not  very  great,  being  thereby  increased.  The  same  is  the 
case  when  considerable  butter  is  added.  When  the  sauerkraut 
is  of  itself  too  sour,  it  may  be  improved  by  the  addition  of 
sweet  milk,  or  by  adding  some  tomato  sauce,  which  is  rather 
sweet.    It  could  also  be  mixed  with  a  little  sugar. 

Tomato  sauerkraut  is  a  very  excellent  and  palatable  food. 
It  is  not  hard  to  digest,  especially  when  sufficiently  cooked,  and 
it  can  be  made  even  more  digestible  when  it  is  cooked  a  second 
time.  Many  people  are  of  the  opinion  that  both  sauerkraut  and 
tomato  sauerkraut  taste  better  when  warmed  over  a  day  or  two 
after  the  first  cooking;  at  all  events  they  are  certainly  more 
easily  digested  in  this  way. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    261 

Like  many  other  good  things  of  this  world  sauerkraut — 
the  tomato  sauerkraut  rather  less — has  a  defect.  It  causes 
flatulence  in  many  persons,  but  it  has  at  the  same  time  a  favor- 
able effect  upon  the  bowel  movements.  The  salt  content  would 
be  a  disadvantage  in  cases  of  kidney  diseases. 

3.  Tubers,  Husk  Vegetables,  and  Vegetable  Fruits. 

Although  the  varieties  of  vegetables  described  under  this 
head  do  not  as  a  general  thing  possess  the  same  curative  prop- 
erties as  those  treated  in  the  previous  chapter,  they  are,  011  the 
other  hand,  more  nutritious,  owing  to  their  greater  starch 
content.  The  assimilation  products  absorbed  from  the  air  by 
the  leaves  are  deposited  in  the  root  tubers  in  the  form  of  starch, 
and  it  is  just  these  products  which  we  shall  now  discuss  as 
food.  The  tuberous  roots  most  rich  in  starch,  such  as  the 
tropical  varieties  and  the  potatoes,  have  already  been  described. 
We  shall  now  consider  the  turnips  and  other  tubers  of  this 
class. 

The  turnips  most  frequently  used  are  no  doubt  the  yellow 
turnips.  They  contain  in  the  natural  substance,  according  to 
Konig,  1. 18  per  cent,  proteins,  0.12  per  cent,  fat,  4.03  per 
cent,  of  sugar,  with  3  per  cent,  of  other  carbohydrates  and  1.62 
per  cent,  of  cellulose.  In  the  dry  substance  they  contain  8.91 
per  cent,  of  protein,  68.48  per  cent,  of  carbohydrate,  and  1.43 
per  cent,  nitrogen. 

Of  nutrient  salts  the  yellow  turnip^  contains  much  lime — 
11.34  per  cent. — and  36.93  per  cent,  potash,  21.17  P^r  cent, 
soda,  1. 01  per  cent,  iron,  0.45  per  cent,  sulphur;  thus,  there  is 
much  potash  and  soda  in  addition  to  the  considerable  amount 
of  lime. 

While  their  high  content  of  certain  salts  would  lead  us  to 
consider  yellow  turnips  as  a  useful  vegetable,  they  are  unfor- 

1  Konig,  ii,  p.  913. 


262 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


tunately  not  well  assimilated  by  the  intestine,  as  Rubner  states 
that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  nutritive  substance  is  elimi- 
nated unused.  The  yellow  turnip  promotes  the  action  of  the 
bowels.  The  "red  turnip" — the  beet — is  principally  used  as  a 
salad.  According  to  Konig,  i,  p.  772,  it  contains  0.54  per  cent, 
of  sugar  and  9.02  per  cent,  of  other  carbohydrates;  those 
gathered  in  the  beginning  of  August  contain  1.37  per  cent,  of 
protein,  and  beets  in  general  contain  1.05  per  cent,  of  cellulose. 
We  here  give,  according  to  Konig,  ii,  p.  917,  a  list  of  the 
various  root  vegetables,  with  their  nutrient  content : — 


ll 

1 

n 

ll 

tl 

0 

ii 

6l 

an  g 

•5  c  s 

0    c^ 

Small  beets 

Small  yellow  turnips 
Teltower  turnips  . . . 
Kohlrabi               .... 

88.05 
88.84 
81.90 
85.89 

86.92 
93.34 
80.39 
84.09 
76.72 

1.50 
1.07 
3.52 
2.87 

1.92 
1.23 
1.04 
1.48 

0.10 
0.21 
0.14 
0.21 

0.11 
0.15 
0.50 
0.39 

0.50 
1.58 
1.24 
0.38 

1.53 
0.88 
2.19 
0  77 

7.78 

6.59 

10.10 

7.80 

6.90 
2.91 
12.67 
11.03 

1.07 
0.98 
1.82 
1.68 

1.55 
0.75 
2.27 
1.40 
2.78 

1.00 
0.73 
1.28 
1.17 

1.07 
0.74 
0.99 
0.84 

0.090 
0.131 
0.190 
0.127 

0.132 
0.073 
0.120 
0.740 

0.008 

0.015 
0.079 
0.069 

Large  radishes 
(black  and  white) 

Small  radishes 

Oyster  plant 

Celery 

0.072 
0.017 
0.041 
0.210 

Horseradish 

2.73,0.35  trace  15.89 

1.53| 0.199 

0.078 

. 

^ 

g 

."3 

• 

^ 

.J 

•iH.; 

0- 

•  *3 

9- 

a 

c 

m  a 

X  a 

4h  a 

n  ° 

2  '^ 

5" 

«  ^ 

S  ^ 

w" 

a  " 

0  u 

■Su 

ro^u 

0  a 

0  (0 

■3  a> 

0  lU 

(SCL. 

«... 

Seu 

^^ 

W&H 

oo. 

Kohlrabi 

35.31 
21.98 

6.53 
3.75 

10.97 
8.78 

6.84  3.02 

21.90 

8.84 
7.71 

2.84 
8.17 

4  94 

Large  radish 
(black  and  white) 

3.53  1.16' 41.12 

4.90 

Small  radish 

32.00 

21.14 

14.94 

2.60  2.34  10.86 

6.46 

0.91 

9.14 

Horseradish 

30.76 

3.96 

8.23    2.91  1.94     7.75 

30.79 

12.72 

0.94 

A  variety  of  turnip  which  is  not  much  used,  although 
deserving  of  more  attention,  is  the  white  turnip.  It  probably 
contains  the  most  water  of  any :  93  to  95  per  cent.  It  is  quite 
rich  in  nutrient  salts,  45  per  cent,  potash  and  10.60  per  cent. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    263 

lime,  but,  owing  to  its  indigestibility  and  poor  assimilation, 
quite  a  good  deal  of  these  salts  is  lost.  The  digestibility  and 
general  value  of  white  turnips  may  be  increased  by  salting 
them  and  allowing  them  to  ferment,  as  is  also  done  with  the 
white  cabbage.  When  cooked  they  may  be  mixed  with  sour 
milk  or  cream,  and  also  with  tomato  sauce.  Like  the  yellow 
turnips,  they  likewise  have  a  favorable  action  upon  the  bowels. 

Kohlrabi  is  much  more  used  than  white  turnips.  This 
variety  of  turnip  has  a  sweetish  taste,  but  does  not  contain 
very  much  sugar,  only  0.38  per  cent.,  with  7.80  per  cent,  of 
carbohydrates,  of  which  a  certain  amount,  owing  to^  its  chemi- 
cal composition  and  poor  assimilation,  need  not  be  taken  into 
account.  Kohlrabi  contains  1.68  per  cent,  of  cellulose,  rather 
more  than  does  white  cabbage,  and,  while  the  total  carbohy- 
drate content  amounts  to  8.47  per  cent,,  only  6.87  per  cent,  is 
assimilated.  Very  nearly  one-half  this  amount  is  fruit-sugar, 
v^hich  is  well  tolerated  by  many  diabetics.  For  this  reason 
kohlrabi  may  be  recommended  in  diabetes.  What  is  here  said 
of  the  kohlrabi  is  applicable  to  many  other  vegetables. 

Less  as  a  vegetable,  but  more  as  a  stimulant  for  the  appe- 
tite, the  large  radishes — both  black  and  white — have  come  into 
use.  They  do  excite  the  appetite,  but  are  of  themselves  very 
indigestible.  They  should  consequently  not  be  used  by  persons 
having  weak  stomachs.  For  healthy  persons  with  good  stom- 
achs they  are  an  excellent  food  at  the  beginning  of  a  meal, 
especially  the  smaller  and  more  tender  radishes. 

Horseradish  is  rather  to  be  regarded  as  a  pungent  flavor- 
ing substance  than  as  a  vegetable,  which  should  only  be  used 
by  perfectly  healthy  persons  as  a  stimulant  for  the  appetite  in 
combination  with  other  foods.  Even  healthy  persons  would 
do  well  to  use  it  but  sparingly.  Like  the  onion,  the  horse- 
radish should  only  be  used  to  improve  the  taste  of  certain 
foods.  Both  of  these  vegetables  may  have  an  injurious  action 
upon  the  kidneys  owing  to  the  pungent  substances  they  contain. 


264  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

The  various  radishes  contain  a  pungent  substance,  an 
ethereal  oil  similar  to  that  contained  in  mustard.  The  smaller 
varieties  of  radishes  are  more  easily  digested  than  the  larger 
ones,  but  when  not  well  masticated  and  salivated  will  cause 
disagreeable  eructations.  In  summer  the  large  radish  will  be 
found  useful  when  the  appetite  may  for  various  reasons  not 
be  quite  up  to  the  mark.  It  should  first  be  well  salted,  which 
will  draw  out  some  of  its  fluid  content,  and  should  then  be  left 
covered  up  for  a  time  until  more  juice  has  been  extracted.  In 
this  way  the  fibers  are  somewhat  softened,  and  are  rendered 
more  digestible.  People  possessed  of  a  good  stomach  can  eat 
quite  a  good  deal  of  it  at  the  beginning  of  a  meal,  and  yet  have 
plenty  of  appetite  for  the  rest  of  the  food.  It  is  not  without 
nutritive  qualities,  since  it  contains  8.47  per  cent,  of  carbohy- 
drate, but  there  is  a  large  amount  of  fiber,  so  only  7  per  cent, 
of  the  carbohydrate  is  assimilated.  Small  quantities  may  be 
taken  by  diabetics,  but  the  smaller  varieties,  which  contain  only 
3.79  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates,  would  be  better;  of  these,  but 
3.18  per  cent,  is  assimilated. 

The  tomato,  with  its  pleasant  acid  taste, — the  name 
tomato  comes  from  the  Aztec  (Mexico)  word  tomatV — is 
another  agreeable  addition  to  various  other  foods.  It  also  has 
a  certain  nutritive  value,  since,  according  tO'  Bailey  and 
Lodema,^  it  contains  4  to  5  per  cent,  of  sugar.  In  this  country 
it  is  principally  the  juice  which  is  used ;  it  is  put  up  in  bottles 
in  the  summer,  and  is  then  used  throughout  the  year,  to  flavor 
other  foods,  such  as  rice,  potatoes,  cabbage,  etc.  When  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  tomato  is  used  the  nutritive  properties  are 
naturally  improved.  Owing  to  its  content  in  citric  and  malonic 
acid, — 0.7  tO'  0.8  per  cent., — the  tomato  may  be  regarded  as  a 
healthful  food. 

In  some  countries,  and  particularly  in  England,  America, 

1  The  ancient  Mexicans  already  cultivated  the  tomato. 

2  Centralblatt  f  iir  Agrikulturchemie,  1890,  p.  493. 


Cood  mid  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    265 

Spain,  and  Italy,  this  vegetable  is  also  eaten  raw  as  a  salad. 
The  meat  is  tender,  and  when  this  alone  is  eaten  it  is.  easily 
digested ;  when  the  seeds  are  also  used  they  may  have  a  some- 
what beneficial  action,  as  do  figs,  by  exercising  a  sort  of 
massage  upon  the  intestinal  mucous  membrane.  As  a  disad- 
vantageous feature  it  may  be  mentioned  that  tomato  contains 
a  small  quantity  of  oxalic  acid. 

When  prepared  as  an  acid  vegetable  the  cucumber  may 
also  prove  useful.  In  general,  it  is  not  easily  digested,  but 
when  it  undergoes  a  process  of  fermentation  in  salt  water  its 
tissues  are  softened  by  the  action  of  the  lactic  acid  which  is 
thus  fomied,  so  that  it  becomes  somewhat  more  digestible. 
The  salted  cucumber  pickle  would  therefore  probably  be  the 
most  healthful  mode  of  using  the  cucumber,  except  in  the  cases 
in  which  salt  is  to  be  avoided,  as  in  kidney  affections. 

The  cucumber  is  not  rich  in  nutritive  substances.  It  con- 
tains only  1.09  per  cent,  of  protein,  but  the  carbohydrates  are 
rather  better  represented,  there  being  1.12  per  cent,  of  sugar 
and  1.09  per  cent,  of  other  carbohydrates.  Large  cucumbers 
contain  more  sugar  and  are  therefore  better  adapted  for  pre- 
serving. According  to  Konig,^  the  nutrient  salt  content  of  the 
cucumber  is  in  the  ash  51.71  per  cent,  of  potash,  4.19  per  cent, 
soda,  6.97  per  cent,  of  lime,  0.75  per  cent,  iron,  13.10  per  cent, 
phosphorus,  and  a  considerable  amount  of  chlorine,  9.16  per 
cent. 

The  pumpkin  is  likewise  prepared  as  a  sour  vegetable  in 
some  countries,  as  in  Hungary.  It  is  also  used  like  cabbage  in 
combination  with  various  dishes  prepared  from  flour,  such  as 
the  "strudel."  In  my  opinion,  this  vegetable  is  undeservedly 
neglected  as  a  food,  for  it  contains  a  considerable  quantity  of 
nutritive  substance.  It  only  contains  i.io  per  cent,  of  protein, 
but  over  6  per  cent,  of  carbohydrate,  of  which  1.29  per  cent, 
is  in  the  form  of  sugar,  and  5.16  per  cent,  in  other  carbohy- 

i  Loc.  cit.,  ii,  p.  922. 


266  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


drates.  The  small  pumpkin  is  worthy  of  much  greater  atten- 
tion than  is  accorded  it  at  present,  since  it  contains  as  much  as 
6  per  cent,  of  sugar  (4  per  cent,  grape-sugar  and  1.50  per  cent, 
cane-sugar).  It  is  therefore  a  nutritious  vegetable,  and  its 
taste  is  very  agreeable.  Of  the  nutrient  salts  it  contains  much 
phosphorus,  up  to  2)Z  per  cent,  in  the  ash,  and  much  soda  and 
lime,  21.13  and  7.79  per  cent. ;  it  is  very  poor  in  common  salt. 

The  melon  is  much  more  used  and  liked  than  the  pumpkin, 
although  some  varieties  of  the  former  are  less  nutritious  than 
the  dried  pumpkin.  According  to  Konig,  the  melon  contains 
0.84  per  cent,  protein,  3.41  per  cent,  sugar,  and  up  to  3  per 
cent,  of  other  carbohydrates;  the  American  sugarmelon  con- 
tains 8  to  12  per  cent,  of  sugar,  together  with  the  other  carbo- 
hydrates.^ The  watermelon  has  0.61  per  cent,  of  protein,  4.21 
per  cent,  sugar,  and  1.07  per  cent,  of  other  carbohydrates. 
When  we  drink  melon  juice  we  absorb  4.14  per  cent,  of  invert- 
sugar  and  0.17  to  0.19  per  ct.  of  malic  acid.  Notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  the  cellulose  content  of  the  melon  is  not  great, — 
1.06  per  cent., — it  is  nevertheless  hard  to  digest,  as  is  also  the 
pumpkin,  especially  when  not  quite  ripe.  Both  of  them  have 
laxative  properties,  but  they  may  also  have  an  irritating  effect 
on  the  intestine,  thus  causing  diarrhea  and  intestinal  catarrh. 
The  juice  of  the  watermelon  is  very  refreshing  in  the  heat  of 
summer,  and  in  some  countries,  as  in  Turkey,  Spain,  and  Hun- 
gary, this  fruit  is  much  eaten.  The  negroes  in  the  United 
States  are  particularly  fond  of  watermelon.  When  there  is 
catarrh  of  the  intestine  or  a  tendency  to  diarrhea  melon  is  a 
dangerous  food,  and  when  cholera  is  prevalent  the  people  are 
warned  against  its  use. 

To  a  much  greater  extent  than  the  above-named  vege- 
tables, green  peas  form  a  nourishing,  and  also  a  very  palatable, 
food.  They  contain  (according  to  Konig,  i,  p.  781)  9.50  per 
cent,  of  sugar  and  other  carbohydrates  and  5.54  per  cent,  of 

1  Konig,  i,  p.  781. 


Good  and  Einl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    267 

nitrogen,  with  i.6i  per  cent,  of  cellulose.  Green  peas  should 
be  classed  among  the  most  nutritious  and  most  easily  digested 
vegetables,  especially  when  they  are  young  and  tender;  they 
contain  but  little  cellulose.  When  they  are  older  they  are  more 
nourishing,  but  also  contain  more  of  the  latter  substance,  and 
are  digested  with  more  difficulty,  both  in  the  stomach  and  in- 
testine. Peas  should  not  be  given  tO'  small  children,  who,  as 
I  have  frequently  observed,  simply  swallow  them  whole,  in 
which  form  they  are  also  passed  out  through  the  intestine, 
after  having  caused  irritation  of  the  latter.  The  garden  variety 
of  green  peas  may  contain  as  much  as  62.45  per  cent,  of  sugar 
and  other  carbohydrates,  of  which  only  10.40  per  cent,  is  as- 
similated. 

String  beans  are  less  nourishing  and  more  indigestible. 
They  consist  principally  of  inosite,  and,  as  this  substance  does 
not  increase  the  sugar  in  the  urine  in  diabetes,  string  beans 
represent  one  of  the  most  desirable  among  the  green  vegetables 
for  patients  suffering  from  that  disease.  Of  the  6.60  per  cent, 
of  carbohydrates  only  about  5.54  per  cent,  is  assimilated. 
Green  string  beans  contain  much  less  sugar  than  peas,  only 
about  1. 16  per  cent. 

4.  Concerning    Winter    Vegetables,    Canned   and   Preserved 
Vegetables,  and  Salads. 

In  our  climate  but  very  few  fresh  vegetables  can  be  had 
in  winter.  A  few  varieties  of  cabbage,  like  the  red  cabbage 
and  possibly  some  few  others,  are  to  be  had  when  the  winter  is 
not  yet  well  advanced.  Brussels  sprouts,  chicory  and  endive, 
etc.,  may  often  be  obtained  late  in  the  autumn.  Even  in  the 
middle  of  winter  one  may  have  fresh  vegetables  by  growing 
them  in  a  cellar,  in  which  case  one  first  spreads  out  a  layer  of 
earth,  then  some  manure,  and  on  the  top  another  layer  of  soil. 
Such  vegetables  as  do  not  absolutely  require  light  can  be  made 
to  grow  well  in  a  cellar,  and  some  kinds,  like  the  chicory  and 


268  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

endive,  even  lose  a  part  of  their  bitter  taste.  Certain  fungi, 
like  the  mushrooms,  can  be  planted  in  a  cellar.  The  same  is 
the  case  with  salad,  aiid  usually  the  vegetables  raised  in  this 
way  are  rather  more  easily  digested,  although  they  are  poorer 
in  some  of  the  salts — iron,  for  instance.  Naturally,  the  salad 
grown  in  the  open  is  much  better,  particularly  because  of  its 
high  content  of  iron,  5.31  per  cent.,  and  other  nutrient  salts. 
It  also  contains  37.63  per  cent,  of  potash,  7.54  per  cent,  of  soda, 
the  rather  large  amount  of  14.68  per  cent,  of  lime,  6.19  per 
cent,  of  magnesia,  9.19  per  cent,  of  phosphorus,  8.14  per  cent, 
of  silicic  acid,  and  7.65  per  cent,  of  chlorine.^ 

Salad  thus  grown  also  contains  acids,  like  citric  acid,  in 
combination  with  the  potash.  The  amount  of  nutrient  sub- 
stance is  very  small,  and  it  has  less  of  protein  (1.92  per  cent.) 
than  the  field  salad  (2  per  cent.),  but  is  generally  more  easily 
digested.  The  sugar  content  is  only  o.ii  per  cent.,  and  the 
other  carbohydrates  are  likewise  poorly  represented,  for  which 
reason  it  may  be  freely  eaten  by  diabetics.  It  is  also  useful 
owing  to  the  salts  contained  in  it,  which  have  an  alkalinizing 
action.  Head  salad  when  well  prepared  with  good  ingredients 
is  a  very  good  food  in  summer.  It  is  more  healthful  when 
mixed  with  lemon  juice  than  with  vinegar.  Nature  has  already 
provided  it  with  some  citric  acid,  and  when  a  good  vegetable 
oil,  like  olive  oil,  is  added  its  nutritive  value,  which  is  really 
slight,  is  considerably  increased. 

In  the  heat  of  summer  the  fresh  acid  taste  of  such  salad 
increases  the  appetite,  and  it  is  a  useful  adjunct  to  meat  foods. 
We  have  already  referred  to  other  varieties  of  salad,  like  the 
endive,  chicory,  cress,  etc.,  as  well  as  tomatoes  and  cucumbers. 
As  a  salad  vegetable  we  may  also-  mention  the  olive,  which 
would  prove  very  nutritious,  owing  to  the  oil  contained  in  it, 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  it  is  very  indigestible.  In  some 
countries,  as  in  France,  Italy,  and  Spain,  the  olive  is  eaten  at 


1  Konig,  ii,  p.  927. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    269 

the  beginning  of  a  meal,  as  a  "hors  d'oeuvre,"  for  the  purpose 
of  stimulating  the  appetite.  The  oHve  contains  barely  i  per 
cent,  of  protein,  but  rather  more  carbohydrate  (9  per  cent.) 
and  a  great  deal  of  fat  (18  per  cent.).  In  salads  it  is  especially 
important  to  use  pure  oil,  with  preferably  lemon  juice  or  the 
best  vinegar. 

Olive  salad  can  always  be  used  during  the  winter,  the 
summer  vegetables  being  also  available  when  preserved. 
Naturally,  preserved  vegetables  are  never  as  good  as  fresh 
ones;  the  fine  flavor  is  impaired,  but  the  nutritive  substances 
and  nutrient  salts  remain  when  the  vegetables  are  kept,  together 
with  the  juice  in  which  they  have  been  cooked.  The  vegetable 
must  first  be  cooked  and  then  be  placed  in  sterilized  bottles  or 
large  jars.  The  neck  is  then  hermetically  closed  with  rubber 
bands  between  the  lids  and  bottles,  in  much  the  same  way  as 
in  the  Week  process.  This  is  probably  the  best  method  of 
keeping  the  vegetables.  In  the  Week  method  the  vegetables 
are  cooked  in  the  bottles.  In  this  way  the  majority  of  summer 
vegetables  may  be  at  our  disposal  in  the  winter,  although  they 
will  have  lost  some  of  their  taste.  Unfortunately  bought  pre- 
served vegetables  often  have  the  disadvantage  that  injurious 
substances  have  been  added  in  order  to  give  them  a  fine  ap- 
pearance; thus,  the  peas  and  cucumbers  have  a  wonderful 
green  color.  This  is  usually  obtained  by  the  addition  of  a  very 
small  quantity  of  copper  sulphate  or  blue  vitriol,  and,  although 
it  is  stated  that  experiments  have  shown  that  this  is  not  in  the 
least  harmful  to  normal  persons,  the  statement  should  not  be 
depended  upon.  As  we  have  shown  in  another  portion  of  this 
work,  the  natural  condition  is  always  greatly  to  be  preferred 
in  everything,  and,  although  such  additions  may  not  be  directly 
fatal  to  life  or  to  the  health,  the  accumulation  of  such  minimal 
quantities  of  injurious  agents  continued  during  a  long  time 
would  probably  prove  injurious  to  the  majority  of  persons. 
Even  the  vinegar  in  which  some  vegetables,  such  as  cucumbers, 


270  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

beets,  etc.,  are  pickled  may  often  be  injurious,  owing  tO'  the 
mineral  acids  contained  in  it.  The  mixed  pickles  of  commerce 
are  also  very  indigestible. 

(/)  The  Fruit  Diet. 

I.  Fruit  as  a  Food,  and  the  Nutritive  Value  of  the 
Various  Varieties. 

We  have  so  far  discussed  the  nutritive  values  of  various 
foods;  we  shall  now  consider  a  class  of  foods  in  which  the 
nutritive  value  is  not  the  principal  factor,  but  which  are  en- 
dowed with  another  peculiarity,  namely :  the  refreshing  prop- 
erties of  their  juices.  Providence  has  so  arranged  that  just  in 
the  very  hottest  regions  the  most  juicy  fruits  are  to  be  found, 
so  that  the  faint  and  thirsty  man  may  be  refreshed  by  them. 
This  is  not  only  accomplished  by  the  quantity  of  water  con- 
tained in  such  fruits,  but  also  by  a  series  of  organic  acids  and 
important  salts  which  are  represented  in  considerable  amounts 
in  their  juices.  Some  fruits  are  richer  in  iron  and  lime  than 
are  many  other  foods.  The  refreshing  action  is  not  only  the 
result  of  the  organic  acids  above  mentioned,  but  is  also  induced 
by  the  large  quantities  of  sugar  contained  in  some  fruits.  This 
makes  them  valuable  foods,  and  dried  figs,  dates,  and  bananas 
are  so  nutritious  because  of  the  sugar  contained  in  them  that 
some  vegetarians  live  only  upon  fruits.  Such  a  diet  might,  it 
is  true,  contain  much  more  of  the  carbohydrates  than  is  re- 
quired for  our  daily  ration,  but  a  corresponding  amount  of  the 
important  nutrient  substance,  albumin,  is  missing,  without 
which  we  cannot  really  thrive.  The  majority  of  fruits  are  very 
poor  in  albumin,  and  the  quantity  which  is  contained  in  them, 
as  is  also  the  case  with  the  carbohydrates,  cannot  be  well  as- 
similated by  our  digestive  organs,  since  the  cellulose  prevents 
the  action  of  the  digestive  fluids.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
some  kinds  of  fruits  are  more  digestible  and  better  assimilated 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     271 

when  they  are  cooked,  since  this  process  softens  the  cellulose. 
Unfortunately,  however,  considerable  of  the  important  nu- 
trient salts  are  thus  lost,  much  being  contained  in  the  skins  of 
the  fruits.  We  have  here  an  analogy  to  the  cereals,  in  which 
important  salts  are  also  lost  by  the  removal  of  the  outer  por- 
tions. When  in  peeling  fruits  the  upper  layer  of  the  fruit- 
meat  is  removed,  flavoring  substances  are  lost,  in  which  just 
this  portion  of  the  fruit  is  very  rich.  True  vegetarians,  there- 
fore, and  especially  those  living  upon  fruits  alone,  do  not  pare 
the  fruits,  and  eat  them  raw.  Since  for  such  a  diet  a  very 
healthy  stomach  is  required,  it  can  certainly  not  become  a 
general  habit.  As  we  have  already  said  in  referring  to  a  vege- 
table diet,  a  diet  of  this  sort  followed  for  a  time  may  un- 
doubtedly present  great  advantages,  but  to  adopt  it  for  a 
permanent  use  would  give  rise  to  great  dangers  for  our  health. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  taking  of  a  large  quantity  of  easily 
digested  fruit  during  several  weeks,  as  a  fruit  or  grape  cure, 
may  be  very  beneficial,  since,  as  we  shall  show  later  on,  it  has 
a  very  favorable  influence  upon  many  conditions.  A  healthy 
person  should  always  eat  fruit  in  the  raw  state.  For  those  who 
are  ill  or  delicate,  and  particularly  for  those  whose  stomachs 
and  intestines  do  not  properly  carry  on  their  functions,  the  fruit 
should  be  stewed.  When  cooked,  fruit,  to  be  sure,  loses  not 
only  a  portion  of  the  nutrient  salts,  but  alsO'  of  the  carbohy- 
drates, as  a  considerable  part  of  the  sugar  is  cooked  out  into 
the  sauce.  When  diabetics  eat  stewed  fruit  they  should  never 
eat  the  juice,  which  contains  much  sugar.  In  the  cases  in 
which  the  juice  is  eaten,  the  carbohydrates  which  have  been 
lost  are  again  replaced.  The  rather  large  quantity  of  acid  has, 
like  the  fiber  content,  a  very  unfavorable  action  upon  the  diges- 
tion, particularly  when  the  fruit  is  unripe;  consequently  only 
such  as  is  fully  ripe  should  be  eaten. 

Negligence  in  this  respect,  particularly  in  the  case  of  chil- 
dren, will  give  rise  to  serious  intestinal  disturbances.     When 


272 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


the  fruit  ripens,  the  quantity  of  acid  and  cellulose  is  materially 
lessened.  In  some  fruits  which  are  gathered  in  an  unripe  condi- 
tion and  kept  for  some  time,  the  sugar  content  is  increased 
owing  to  a  femient  contained  in  them;  thus,  very  ripe  bananas 
contain  a  great  deal  of  sugar.  In  dried  fruits  such  as  bananas, 
figs,  dates,  etc.,  the  sugar  content  is  sometimes  exceedingly 
great. 

The  fine  aroma,  the  perfume  of  the  fruit,  is  caused  by 
ethereal  oils  which  are  principally  contained  in  the  cells  of  the 
skins.  Just  as  rice,  as  has  already  been  explained,  loses  its 
taste  when  transported  without  the  skin,  so  apples  and  pears 
lose  all  of  their  delicate  aroma  and  flavor  when  they  are  left  for 
a  time  without  their  skins.  The  organic  acids  are  principally 
malic,  tartaric,  citric,  and  tannic.  When  too  much  of  these 
is  present  the  digestion  suffers,  and  when  too  little  the 
taste  suffers.  A  small  quantity  of  acid  in  some  fruits  may  have 
a  stimulating  effect  upon  the  appetite,  thus  starting  the  process 
of  digestion. 

The  sugar  and  acid  contents  of  various  fruits,  according 
to  Konig,^  are  as  follows : — 


Apples 

Pears  

Prunes , 

Peaches , 

Apricots , 

Cherries , 

Grapes 

Strawberries  . , 
Raspberries  . . , 
Huckleberries 
Blackberries. . 
Mulberries .... 
Gooseberries  . , 

Currants 

Red  bilberries  , 

Medlars 

Oranges , 


Sugar  content. 

Free  acid. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

8.55 

0.70 

8.61 

0.20 

7.76 

0.92 

8.11 

0.72 

6.66 

1.05 

9.95 

0.72 

14.95 

0.77 

6.24 

1.10 

4.29 

1.45 

5.24 

1.37 

5.72 

0.77 

9.19 

1.86 

7.93 

1.37 

6.44 

2.24 

1.53 

10.57 

2.34 

5.65 

1.35 

iKonig:  "Chemie  der  menschlichen  Nahrungs-  und  Genussmittel," 
ii,  p.  1489.  In  addition  to  the  sugar  content  given  other  carbohydrates 
are  present  in  small  quantities. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    273 

The  sugar  content  of  a  fruit  may  often  be  fairly  well  de- 
termined by  the  outward  appearance  of  the  skin.  Truelle,  after 
many  years'  observation,  found  that  fruits  with  yellow  skins 
contain  much  sugar  and  have  a  very  penetrating  odor;  with  a 
red  skin  they  contain  a  medium  quantity  of  sugar  and  have  a 
pleasant,  delicate  perfume;  with  a  reddish-brown  skin,  very 
much  sugar  and  but  little  perfume.  As  a  general  thing  the 
fruits  having  a  glossy  skin  are  very  juicy  and  have  the  most 
pronounced  odors. 

In  order  to  obtain  fruit  with  a  high  content  of  sugar  and 
only  very  little  acid  it  must  be  left  hanging  on  the  tree  until 
absolutely  ripe.  The  later  it  is  gathered,  the  stronger  will  be 
the  perfume. 

According  to  Balland,^  the  constituents  of  various  fruits 
are  as  follows : — 


Fruits. 


it  (O 
O  O 


c«cu 


Apricots 

Pineapple  in  cans 

Bananas,  peeled 

Figs,  fresh 

Strawberries 

Raspberries .^ . 

Medlars,  without  acid 

Peaches  

Pears 

Apples 


87.70 
75.70 
73.40 
84.80 
85.60 
82.60 
92.60 
86.60 
88.50 
82.60 


0.93 
0.60 
1.44 
0.79 
0.31 
1.60 
0.61 
0.48 
0.04 
0.06 


0.12 
0.06 
0.09 
0.22 
0.03 
1.11 
0.07 
0.48 
0.04 
0.06 


8.10 
18.40 
21.90 
8.30 
3.30 
7.14 
2.90 
6.70 
6.40 
8.90 


1.60 
4.35 
2.03 
3.85 
0.80 
3.04 
1.40 
3.63 
3.73 
5.51 


1.41 
0.57 
1.22 
1.23 
0.36 
3.91 
0.23 
1.19 
1.12 
1.21 


0.64 
0.24 
0.92 
0.71 
0.21 
0.60 
0.69 
0.51 
0.17 
0.28 


J.   Konig  gives  the   following  average  composition  of 
certain  fruits,  based  on  a  series  of  analyses : — 


1  Balland :  Loc.  cit.,  p.  252. 


274 


Health  TJirous^h  Rational  Diet. 


Fruits. 

.  u 

U  V 

P 

IK 

o  o 

hi 

Pj-unes                 

81.18 
85.74 
79.82 
87.66 
84.77 

0.78 
0.78 
0.67 
0.57 
0.51 

6.15 
7.03 
10.24 
6.28 
6.18 

4.92 
1.91 
1.76 
6.48 
0.90 

5.41 
3.52 
6.07 
2.32 
4.57 

0.85 

Gooseberries              

1.15 

Cherries                           

0.91 

Strawberries                          

0.93 

Currants                     

1.15 

The  sugar  found  in  fruits  is  partly  grape-sugar  and  partly 
fruit-sugar — about  one-half  of  the  latter;  they  also  contain 
some  cane-sugar.  The  nutrient  salt  content  of  fruits  is  quite 
important ;  on  the  opposite  page  we  present  a  list  of  the  same 
according  to  Konig. 

Certain  varieties  of  fruits  contain  appreciable  quantities 
of  manganese.    Manganese  oxide  is  found  in  the  ash  of 

Plums,  fleshy  portions   0.23  per  cent. 

Plums,  whole  fruit   0.39  per  cent. 

Apricots,    fleshy    portions    0.24  per  cent. 

Apricots,  whole  fruit 0.37  per  cent. 

Cherries 0.82  per  cent. 

Grapes   0.24  per  cent. 

Huckleberries    0.02  per  cent. 

Figs    0.21  per  cent. 


2.  Concerning  Apples,  Apple  Juice,  Apple  Tea,  Cider. 
Other  Fruits  having  Seeds  and  Pits. 


Some  persons  never  go  to  bed  without  eating  one  or  two 
apples,  being  of  the  opinion  that  they  cause  them  to  sleep  better. 
I  shall  not  here  enter  into  the  question  as  to  whether  this  idea 
is  well  founded  or  not,  although  it  is  no  doubt  possible  that  by 
thus  eating  apples  before  retiring  another  hygienic  result  is 
achieved ;  the  acids  contained  in  the  apples  have  a  certain  anti- 
septic influence  upon  the  micro-organisms  present  in  the  buccal 


Good  and  Ez-il  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     275 


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276  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

cavity  and  in  the  throat,  and  thus  prevent  inflammatory  proc- 
esses in  the  throat,  to  which  persons  who  have  large  tonsils  are 
particularly  subject.  The  acids  which  are  sometimes  present 
in  very  large  quantities  in  apples — especially  the  sour  varie- 
ties— render  them  rather  injurious  for  the  stomach,  and  persons 
who  are  subject  to  acidity  of  the  stomach  should  never  eat 
apples.  The  sweet  and  juicy  varieties  are  preferable,  and  those 
which  ripen  early  in  the  summer  are  more  easily  digested,  since 
they  contain  less  cellulose, — we  see  here  the  similarity  existing 
between  the  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  even  animals  if  we  com- 
pare the  fiber  with  the  connective  tissue, — while  the  older  fruits, 
especially  the  dried  varieties,  have  a  great  deal  of  this  fiber. 
The  Tyrolese  apples  are  very  easily  digested,  especially  the 
"Kostlichen"  varieties,  and  in  Meran  "apple  cures"  may  be 
taken  in  the  late  summer  or  early  in  the  autumn.  According  to 
personal  experience,  it  is  possible  to  eat  5  or  6  or  even  more  of 
the  "Kostlichen"  apples  without  experiencing  the  least  diffi- 
culty. They  almost  melt  in  the  mouth.  Apples  may  exert  an 
alkalinizing  effect;  owing  to  the  organic  acids  contained  in 
them,  which  are  converted  into  carbonate  compounds  by 
the  combustion  process,  and  it  has  been  observed  by  Garrod, 
Weiss,  and  others  that  they  are  very  beneficial  in  gout.  It  is 
also  said  that  in  regions  where  many  apples  are  eaten,  and 
where  cider  is  drunk,  renal  calculi  rarely  occur.  This  may  be 
due  to  the  infrequency  of  uric  acid  concretions. 

Apples  are  also  beneficial  in  diabetes.  There  is  no  other 
fruit  which  may  be  so  unstintedly  allowed  for  diabetics  with 
the  exception  of  the  berry  fruits.  Cooked  apples  are  to  be  pre- 
ferred, since  a  portion  of  the  sugar  is  lost  in  cooking.  Even  one 
or  two  raw  apples  per  day  can,  however,  be  allowed  for  many 
diabetic  patients.  It  is  a  mistake  to  think  that  any  number  of 
sour  apples  may  also  be  permitted  in  diabetes;  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  acid  taste  merely  disguises  the  sugar,  but 
does  not  remove  it,  just  as  when  giving  sour  milk  to  diabetics 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    277 

one  must  consider  that,  together  with  the  lactic  acid,  the  sugar 
is  still  present  in  the  milk.  Sour  apples  are  not  to  be  recom- 
mended for  weak  stomachs,  because  they  usually  contain  much 
cellulose.  Juicy,  soft  apples  are  the  best,  especially  those  which 
can  be  somewhat  mashed  or  squeezed  in  by  the  fingers;  the 
credit  of  being  the  very  best  of  all  must  be  conceded  to>  the 
Tyrolese  variety  already  mentioned.  Canadian  apples,  par- 
ticularly those  from  the  province  of  British  Columbia,  and  also 
those  from  the  State  of  Oregon  in  the  United  States,  are  very 
excellent  juicy  varieties,  probably  owing  to  climatic  properties 
and  those  of  the  soil.  Apples  thrive  best  where  the  earth  con- 
tains sugar-forming  substances  such  as  potash  and  phosphorus, 
and  we  must  fertilize  the  soil  with  these  substances  if  we  wish 
to  produce  a  fine  quality  of  fruit. 

Apples  are  more  digestible  when  stewed.  In  England  and 
in  America  it  is  customary  to  bake  them,  and  "baked  apples"  in 
which  the  cores  have  been  previously  removed  are  very  pala- 
table and  not  hard  to  digest.  When  prepared  as  apple  sauce 
they  are  most  easily  digested,  but  that  made  of  very  sour  apples 
is  not  adapted  for  all  stomachs.  The  juice  of  apples  may  also 
be  used  as  a  very  agreeable  sort  of  tea ;  according  to  Monteuis, 
this  is  made  by  cutting  a  large  apple  into  8  pieces,  and  pouring 
over  it  one-half  liter  of  hot  water;  it  is  then  left  on  the  edge  of 
the  fire  for  about  two  hours.  To  improve  the  taste  2  or  3  slices 
of  orange  or  lemon  are  added,  with  5  or  6  pieces  of  domino'  or 
lump  sugar.  This  is  a  very  agreeable  beverage  for  invalids,  but 
healthy  persons  may  also  drink  it  instead  of  tea,  as  it  tastes 
very  good.  It  is  to  be  served  hot,  and  one  obtains  in  this  way, 
besides  the  juice,  the  full  aroma  of  the  apple,  since  the  skin  is 
left  on.  The  juice  of  the  apple  is  a  very  beneficial  drink ;  we 
shall  refer  to  the  fruit  juices  later  on,  but  will  merely  give  here 
the  average  composition  of  apple  juice  in  one  liter  of  juice: — 

Sugar 126  grams. 

Acids   . . . .' 2  grams. 

Tannic  acid  3  grams. 

Pectin  bodies   9  grams. 


278  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

To  obtain  the  juice  the  apples  are  crushed  in  machines, 
and  it  is  then  extracted  by  pressure.  From  this  juice  cider  is 
made,  and  when  fermentation  has  taken  place  it  becomes  apple 
wine;  as  the  latter  contains  5  to  10  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  it  has 
the  same  disadvantageous  properties  as  alcoholic  drinks  in 
general.  We  recommend  cider,  as  it  has  an  excellent  effect 
upon  diuresis  and  defecation,  and  prevents  the  formation  of 
uric  acid  concretions.  Cider  is  a  favorite  drink  among  the 
Normans  and  Bretons,  and  the  sparkling,  though  still  unfer- 
mented,  cider  has  a  very  agreeable  taste ;  the  same  is  not  the 
case  when  the  fermentation  process  has  been  completed,  for 
like  most  fruit  wines  it  does  not  taste  as  good  as  the  wine  made 
from  grapes.  The  fruit  wines  have  no  advantage  over  the 
latter;  in  fact,  the  contrary  is  the  case. 

In  certain  parts  of  Austria,  and  in  Germany  in  particular, 
cider  is  much  liked.  A  beverage  resembling  it  is  made  from 
pears,  "cidre  de  poires"  (pear  cider),  which  after  fermentation 
contains  more  alcohol  than  apple  wine.  Much  sweeter  ciders 
are  made  from  pears  than  from  apples,  and  this  high  sugar 
content  causes  the  greater  content  of  alcohol.  Pear  juice  does 
not  taste  as  good  as  apple  juice;  it  contains  126  to  148  grams 
of  sugar  per  liter,  and  less  tannic  acid  in  general  than  apple 
juice.  In  my  country  pear  cider  is  not  much  used,  but  in  Nor- 
mandy and  Brittany  much  of  it  is  drunk,  like  the  more  agree- 
able apple  cider.  Pears  often  contain  more  juice  than  apples. 
The  Salzburg  pears  are  exceedingly  juicy  and  have  a  delicious 
taste ;  the  same  is  the  case  with  the  Kaiser  pears  and  several 
other  varieties.  In  general,  however,  pears  are  not  easily 
digested,  as  they  contain  hard,  gritty,  and  indigestible  granules. 
Some  varieties,  when  kept  for  a  long  time,  get  very  soft, — 
almost  like  butter, — the  amount  of  acids  and  cellulose  being 
diminished  by  a  fermentative  action,  and  the  grape-sugar  is 
converted  into  the  more  agreeable  fruit-sugar ;  they  are  then 
rather  more  digestible.     Most  of  the  varieties  of  pears  are 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    279 

rendered  more  digestible  by  cooking,  and  some,  like  the  Ameri- 
can canned  pears,  almost  melt  in  the  mouth.  Although  they 
have  a  most  pleasant  taste,  the  same  objection  applies  to  them 
as  to  preserved  fruits  in  general.  It  is  much  the  best  to  put  up 
the  fruit  at  home,  cooking  them  in  the  Week  appliances.  Fruits 
preserved  in  glass  in  their  own  juice  with  the  addition  of  a 
little  cane-sugar  are  the  most  healthful. 

Apricots  and  peaches  should  only  be  eaten  when  perfectly 
ripe,  in  which  manner  they  are  easily  digested.  Since  very 
ripe  and  soft  fruit  does  not  cook  well,  hard  fruit  is  usually 
taken  for  this  purpose,  and  thus  it  frequently  happens  that  soft, 
ripe  fruit  is  more  easily  digested  raw  than  fruit  that  is  cooked. 
Among  peaches  the  free-stone  varieties  are  best  digested;  the 
cling  stones  are  not  to  be  recommended  for  weak  stomachs. 
The  finest  and  most  juicy  peaches  are  no  doubt  those  grown  in 
Hungary  and  in  many  parts  of  Austria ;  apples  and  pears  thrive 
best  in  Bohemia,  and  large  numbers  of  very  fine  apples  are 
shipped  from  there  into  Germany. 

In  Hungary,  Bosnia,  and  Servia,  and  also'  the  south  of 
France,  are  produced  many  plums,  which  fruit  plays  so  impor- 
tant a  part  as  a  remedy  for  constipation;  dried  plums,  or 
primes,  in  particular,  possess  this  laxative  property.  For  this 
purpose  the  large  California  plums  as  well  as  the  Bordeaux 
plums  are  the  best;  they  must,  however,  first  be  soaked  in 
water,  and  the  skins  should  be  removed  before  they  are  eaten, 
since  they  are  hard  to  digest  owing  to  the  amount  of  raw  fiber 
they  contain. 

Dried  plums  are  most  healthful  when  cooked,  as  the  raw 
fiber  is  softened  by  the  cooking,  and  is  much  more  easily 
digested. 

Fresh  raw  plums,  prunes,  and  green  gages  are  well  di- 
gested when  they  are  ripe  and  tender.  Prunes  contain  con- 
siderable boric  acid,  and  Windisch  found  0.17  per  cent,  of  this 
in  the  iuice ; — also  a  certain  amount  of  salicylic  acid,  which, 


280  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

though  present  in  some  fruits, — to  be  discussed  later  on, — 
is  not  injurious  to  our  bodies  when  taken  in  such  minute  quan- 
tities; indeed,  it  might  rather  serve  some  curative  purpose. 
We  consider  plums  and  prunes,  even  when  taken  in  large 
quantities,  as  more  healthful  than  green  gages;  the  former 
have  a  favorable  action  upon  the  bowels. 

3,  Berries. 

It  is  a  peculiar  fact  that  the  most  delicious  and  appetizing 
garden  strawberries  attain  their  finest  development  when  such 
repulsive  substances  as  soft,  fatty  cow  and  stable  manure  is 
used  in  fertilizing  the  ground.  Strawberries  require  nitrogen, 
phosphorus,  and  potash,  and  these  are  easiest  furnished 
to  themi  in  this  way.  Fortunately,  as  has  been  shown  by 
Remlinger  and  Noury,  injurious  bacterial  substances  cannot 
penetrate  from  the  manure  into  the  interior  of  vegetables  and 
fruits.  If,  however,  any  one  for  esthetic  reasons  should  object 
to  this  origin,  or,  better  said,  the  assistance  of  such  malodorous 
drainage  substances,  in  growing  the  berries  (unfortunately, 
estheticism  ceases  in  animal  functions  and  habits)  he  must 
confine  himself  to  the  wild  strawberries.  The  wild  strawberry 
usually  has  a  much  finer  aroma,  as  is  generally  the  case  with 
all  the  wild  varieties  of  berries.  In  the  majority  of  fruits  the 
aroma  only  lasts  for  a  short  time  after  they  have  been  gathered, 
and  strawberries  taste  much  better  in  the  woods  than  two  days 
later  at  the  fruit  dealers'.  Ripe  berries  are  quite  easily 
digested,  but  in  those  not  quite  ripe  the  great  number  of  small 
seeds  may  have  an  irritating  action.  The  large,  ripe,  garden 
variety  is  also  easily  digested,  but,  for  weak  stomachs  and 
where  there  are  intestinal  disturbances,  strawberries  had  best 
be  forbidden.  In  gout,  as  has  been  shown  by  the  experiments 
of  Weiss  in  the  laboratory  of  Bunge,  strawberries  may  prove 
very  beneficial,  and  in  England  strawberry  cures  have  been 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    281 

successfully  resorted  to.  There,  especially  in  London,  great 
quantities  of  these  berries  are  in  the  markets;  Denmark  is  also 
rich  in  strawberries,  and  they  sell  for  a  very  low  price  in 
Copenhagen ;  in  one  of  the  fruit-selling  establishments  in  that 
city,  the  "Jordbaer"  (strawberries)  were  named  Andersen 
after  the  proprietor.  In  summer  the  strawberries  are  eaten 
in  Denmark  with  the  truly  exquisite,  thick,  Danish  cream, 
"Jordbaer  met  flode,"  and  are  most  palatable.  Strawberries 
are  a  valuable  fruit  for  diabetics  and  arteriosclerotics,  since 
they  are  not  rich  in  sugar.  The  small  seeds  may  exert  a  mild 
stimulating  action  upon  the  bowels.  Their  beneficial  action  in 
gout  is  not  sufficiently  explained  by  the  small  amount  of 
salicylic  acid, — 2  to  3  milligrams -to  the  liter, — although  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  similar  substances  when  combined  with 
others,  as  in  the  body  or  in  the  foods,  may  act  in  homeopathic 
doses.  As  has  been  stated  by  Aron,^  very  minimum  quantities 
of  certain  substances  may  cause  rashes  or  eruption  through 
chemical  reactions  occurring  in  the  body.  Raspberries  are,  as 
a  general  thing,  much  more  indigestible  than  strawberries, 
owing  to  the  large  seeds ;  but  they  also  have  a  most  agreeable 
aroma.  The  most  indigestible  of  all  berries  are  currants  and 
gooseberries,  the  latter  being  the  poorest  in  that  respect.  The 
considerable  amount  of  cellulose  in  the  skins  of  the  latter  and 
the  seeds  and  the  cellulose  of  the  fleshy  portions  of  the  not 
overripe  berries  are  conducive  to  this  result.  The  juice  of  very 
ripe  currants  and  gooseberries  has  a  very  pleasant  taste.  Ac- 
cording to  Hebebrand,  100  cubic  centimeters  of  gooseberry 
juice  contains  i  milligram  of  boric  acid.  The  berries  endowed 
with  the  principal  therapeutic  properties  are  no  doubt  huckle- 
berries, these  properties  having  been  brought  to  light  by 
Winternitz.  Blueberries,  or  huckleberries,  have  a  very  favor- 
able action  in  intestinal  affections,  chronic  catarrh,  and  diar- 


1  Aron  :   Loc.  cit. 


282  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

rhea.  They  have  a  mild  astringent  action,  and  in  this  respect 
exert  a  beneficial  action  upon  the  mucous  membranes.  They 
are  also  excellent  in  chronic  inflammations  of  the  throat. 
They  decrease  inflammatory  processes  and  have  a  certain 
antiseptic  action,  and  the  pharmacopeias  of  some  cities  provide 
for  very  useful  preparations  to  be  made  from  these  berries. 
The  digestibility  of  these  berries  is  not  so  very  poor,  since  they 
contain  no'  irritating  seeds,  and  I  have  ascertained  that  the 
eating  of  more  than  a  pint  of  berries  is  not  followed  by  any 
digestive  disturbances.  Even  more  easily  digested  are  the 
mulberries  which  grow  wild  in  great  profusion  in  some  regions, 
particularly  in  Hungary.  This  useful  and  very  agreeable  fruit 
should  really  be  more  planted  and  enjoyed.  The  mulberry  tree 
is  also'  most  useful  in  the  silkworm  industry,  and  should,  if 
only  for  this  reason,  be  cultivated  in  large  numbers.  Black- 
berries are  very  indigestible,  even  when  quite  ripe,  owing  to 
their  many  large  seeds.  The  best  results  are  tO'  be  obtained, 
from  these  and  other  indigestible  berries,  with  their  juices,  as 
we  shall  show  later  on.  Bilberries  are  likewise  not  very  read- 
ily digested,  as  they  contain  much  acid.  The  best  of  these 
berries  among  the  European  varieties  are  those  grown  in 
Sweden,  called  "Lingon,"  for  the  exploitation  of  which  a  stock 
company  has  been  formed  in  Gottenburg,  which  exports  them 
to  the  value  of  several  millions  of  "krone"  per  year.  The 
American  variety  (cranberry)  is  much  larger,  but  not  so  fine 
in  taste.  The  bilberry  is  especially  valuable  for  diabetics,  since 
there  is  scarcely  any  other  fruit  which  contains  so  little  sugar. 

4.  The  Benefit  to  be  Derived  from  the  Daily 
Use  of  Cherries. 

When  we  particularly  recommend  cherries,  and  even  the 
daily  use  of  the  same,  it  is  because  of  several  beneficial  proper- 
ties peculiar  to  this  fruit.  Among  all  the  fruits  used  by  us, 
cherries — with    the   exception   of    grapes    only — contain   the 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    283 

greatest  amount  of  sugar  (lo  to  12  per  cent.).  Since  one  is 
able  to  eat  a  considerable  number  of  cherries,  especially  of 
those  with  tender  skins  which  are  in  the  markets  in  May  and 
June,  without  feeling  any  uncomfortable  pressure  in  the 
stomach,  one  is  not  only  indulging  in  a  most  agreeable  fruit, — 
not  to  say  the  very  best  of  the  spring  fruits, — but  in  a  nutri- 
tious article  of  diet  as  well.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  eat  as 
much  as  i  kilo  per  day,  when  divided  among  the  several  meals; 
400  or  more  calories  are  thus  obtained.  There  is  no  other 
fruit,  with  the  exception  of  grapes,  of  which  so  many  can  be 
tolerated  as  of  luscious  spring  cherries,  which  are  easily 
digested  because  they  are  exceedingly  juicy  and  have  a  thin 
skin.  Later  in  the  season  they  are  more  indigestible,  par- 
ticularly the  tough  variety.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
similar  quantity  of  valuble  nutrient  salts  in  other  fruits ;  very 
few  contain  as  much  of  the  alkalinizing  salts,  potash,  and  lime, 
and  also  of  iron  and  phosphoric  acid,  as  do  cherries.  Corre- 
spondingly large  quantities  of  other  edible  fruits  rich  in  nutri- 
tive salts  would  not  so  easily  benefit  us  and  would  have  an 
injurious  effect  on  the  stomach,  since  they  are,  like  apricots, 
for  instance,  very  indigestible.  According  to  my  experience, 
excepting  grapes,  no  fruit  "cure"  can  be  so  successfully  carried 
out  as  with  juicy  spring  cherries.  Without  in  the  least  dimin- 
ishing the  appetite  for  the  next  repast,  one  can  eat  during  a 
meal  >:+  kilo  (>4  pound)  or  more.  For  a  delicate  stomach  it 
is  better  not  to  swallow  the  skins,  although  the  aroma  and 
certain  valuable  substances  are  contained  in  them.  When  the 
stomach  is  delicate  these  cures  may  also  be  taken  by  using 
cherry  juice,  which,  with  the  exception  of  that  of  the  agriot, 
has  the  best  taste  of  any  fruit  juice.  Cherries,  especially  those 
which  reach  the  markets  during  May  and  June  in  Holland  and 
Denmark,  the  best  cherry  countries  of  the  world  (these  two 
countries  and  their  seafaring  populations  resemble  each  other 
in  many  respects),  are  not  only  the  most  palatable  of  fruits,  but 


284  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

they  are  also  a  very  healthful  food.  They  belong  to  the  class 
of  fruits  which  are  useful  in  gout  "cures,"  as  has  been  shown 
by  Weiss  in  Bunge's  laboratory.  According  to  my  own  obser- 
vations in  many  persons,  I  would  add  that  cherries  are  one  of 
the  fruits  which  have  the  best  action  upon  the  bowels.  They 
should  be  eaten  just  before  retiring  as  well  as  after  the  mid- 
day and  evening  meals.  The  times  are  past  when  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  strictly  forbid  the  use  of  all  fruits  at  Carlsbad.  I 
advise  my  patients,  particularly  those  suffering  from  gout, 
constipation,  or  arteriosclerosis,  to  eat  cherries,  and  also  advo- 
cate the  use  of  grapes,  but  not  shortly  before  or  after  the 
drinking  of  the  spring  waters.  Dried  cherries  have  a  greater 
action  upon  the  bowels  than  even  fresh  cherries  or  dried 
prunes.  Dried  cherries  should  be  much  more  frequently  used, 
especially  by  vegetarians.  They,  as  is  in  fact  the  case  with 
all  dried  fruits,  contain  more  sugar  than  fresh  cherries,  and  I 
believe  them  to  be  more  easily  digested  than  dried  plums.  In 
Denmark,  especially,  I  found  the  very  best  quality  of  fleshy 
dried  cherries.  Naturally,  the  nutritive  value  of  such  cherries 
is  not  inconsiderable.  Vegetarians,  particularly  those  living 
strictly  upon  fruits,  should  eat  dried  fruits  o-f  all  kinds  as 
often  as  possible. 

5.  Grapes  and  their  Adzmntages.     Hothouse  Grapes 

{Frankenthal,  Colman,  Alicante). 
The  obser^-ation  was  made  long  ago  by  Niemeyer  that 
persons  who  consume  two  or  three  pounds  of  grapes  daily 
grew  fat,  and  Pliny  stated  that  foxes  living  on  the  wine  hills 
and — according  to  their  habit — stealing  the  grapes  grew  fat 
very  rapidly.  This  does  not  surprise  us,  when  we  consider 
that  grapes  contain  a  considerable  quantity  of  sugar,  14  to  18 
and  even  up  to  20  per  cent.  When  therefore  about  2  pounds 
of  grapes  are  eaten  daily,  as  much  as  300  grams  of  sugar  are 
absorbed,  and,  when  in  addition  meat  and  other  nourishing 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    285 

food?  are  taken,  a  person  can  very  easily  gain  in  weight.  If, 
however,  he  wished  to  hve  principally  or  exclusively  upon 
grapes,  he  would  be  badly  off,  since  they  contain  but  little 
albumin.  According  to  Konig,  fresh  grapes  contain,  on  the 
average,  the  following  constituents  : — 


Water. 
Per  c«nt. 

Albuminous 
products. 
Per  cent. 

Pectin 
bodies. 
Per  cent. 

Sugar. 
Per  cent. 

Free  acids. 
Percent. 

Seeds. 
Per  cent. 

Ash. 
Per  cent. 

78.17 

0.59 

1.96 

14.36 

0.79 

3.60 

0.53 

Grape-  and  fruit-  sugar  is  found  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties in  ripe  grapes,  as  in  other  fruits ;  in  the  unripe  fruit  there 
is  more  fruit-sugar.  The  grapes  of  the  South,  as  in  Spain 
(Andalusia)  and  Portugal,  contain  much  sugar,  and  from 
them  a  very  alcoholic  wine  can  be  therefore  made.  Grapes, 
owing  to  their  high  sugar  content  and  the  tartaric  acid  and 
tannin  contained  in  them,  their  aroma,  etc.,  are  especially 
adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  wine.  Other  fruits,  like  apples 
and  pears,  also  contain  considerable  sugar ;  but  as  they  likewise 
contain  much  malic  acid,  the  wine  obtained  from  them  cannot 
be  compared  with  that  made  of  grapes.  Considerable  amounts 
of  nutrient  salts  are  also  present  in  grapes.  As  shown  in  the 
analysis  previously  given,  they  are  rich  in  the  tartrates  of 
potassium  and  calcium,  as  well  as  in  the  phosphates  and  sul- 
phates of  these  metals. 

In  consequence  of  the  great  sugar  content,  the  tartaric 
acid,  and  the  salts,  grapes  have  a  laxative  action,  and  they  also 
act  favorably  upon  the  diuresis.  It  is  therefore  a  good  habit 
to  eat  a  certain  quantity  of  good  ripe  grapes  daily  after  the 
midday  and  evening  meal  during  the  grape  season,  in  order 
that  they  may  act  upon  the  bowels.  The  decided  sugar  content 
may  also  have  a  favorable  action  upon  intestinal  putrefaction. 
In  order  that  grapes  be  healthful,  they  should  be  perfectly  ripe 
and  of  unquestionable  origin.  Those  having  a  fine  skin,  much 
juice,  and  small  seeds  are  greatly  preferred.  The  Hungarian 
grapes  are  of  this  kind.     The  Italian  grapes  often  have  very 


286  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

thick  skins,  large  seeds  and  very  little  juice;  the  Spanish  grapes 
also  have  very  thick  skins,  but  in  Valencia  I  ate  a  red  variety 
of  a  long,  oval  shape  which  had  a  very  sweet  taste.  Generally 
speaking,  these  southern  varieties  are  not  so  juicy,  but  are 
sweeter, — a  peculiarity  due  no  doubt  to  the  long-continued 
action  and  heat  of  the  sun's  rays. 

In  Austria  the  Meran  (Tyrol),  Baden,  and  Voslau  varie- 
ties are  the  best;  in  Germany  the  Rhein  region,  Baden, 
Wiirtemberg,  and  Mayence  are  celebrated  for  their  grapes. 
Before  grapes  are  eaten  they  should  be  washed  in  water  in 
order  to  remove  any  copper  sulphate  which  may  have  been 
sprinkled  on  them.  The  skins  and  seeds  must  not  be  swallowed, 
as  they  are  not  beneficial  for  the  digestion.  A  few  seeds  would 
do  no  harm;  they  would,  on  the  contrary,  have  a  rather 
favorable  massage-like  action  upon  a  sluggish  intestine.  The 
large  seeds  of  some  kinds  of  grapes  would,  however,  be  very 
bad  for  children.  The  little  daughter  of  a  family  from  Kirn, 
near  Kreuznach,  who  were  my  patients  at  Carlsbad,  ate,  during 
the  month  of  October,  some  hothouse  grapes  of  which  she 
swallowed  the  seeds;  several  months  later  she  had  colic  every 
day  and  became  much  run  down,  until  one  day  after  having 
taken  a  very  energetic  purgative  these  seeds  were  expelled. 
During  all  these  months  the  child  had  positively  not  eaten  any 
grapes.  Grape-lovers  can  obtain  them  in  winter,  in  the  hot- 
house varieties  which  are  exported  in  large  quantities  from 
Belgium.  Those  most  industrious  and  commercial  people — 
the  Belgians — have  since  several  centuries,  in  Oulart,  near 
Brussels,  as  also  in  Drooge  Bosch  and  other  places,  an  enor- 
mous number  of  greenhouses  extending  over  kilometers  and 
kilometers  of  ground,  and  these  Belgian  vines  produce  most 
excellent  grapes.  The  best  varieties  are,  first,  the  Franken- 
thaler,  which  have  a  very  fine  skin  and  not  very  large  seeds 
and  have  a  delicious  taste.  They  contain  a  great  deal  of  juice. 
Then  come  the  Colman  grapes ;  for  my  taste  I  prefer  the  latter 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     287 

because  they  are  more  fleshy  and  have  a  very  pleasant  taste ;  the 
skin  is  also  quite  thin.  The  black,  or  Alicante,  grapes,  which 
have  a  thick  skin,  are  probably  the  least  fine;  they  also  have 
considerable  juice,  but  it  is  not  sweet, — in  fact,  quite  sour. 
The  Colman  variety  is  very  meaty,  but  has  less  juice.  The 
Frankenthaler  are  the  most  expensive  and  the  Alicante  the 
cheapest.  It  is  really  very  inexpensive  to  eat  grapes  in 
Belgium  at  times  when  in  other  countries  they  are  not  to  be 
had, — in  November  and  December.  The  medium  quality  cost 
from  80  centimes  to  i  franc  (18  to  20  cents)  and  the  best 
quality  from  1.50  to  2  francs  (30  to  40  cents)  per  pound. 
The  grapes  of  the  Belgian  vines  are  of  a  much  finer  quality 
and  aroma  when  they  have  been  transplanted  into  Hungarian 
soil,  as  I  have  seen  in  the  results  obtained  by  the  Belgian- 
Hungarian  colony  at  Vacz,  near  Budapest. 

6.  Concerning  the  Advantages  of  the  Grape  Cure. 

Cajus  Plinius  already  called  attention  to  the  value  of 
grapes  in  many  conditions  of  disease.  The  fact  that  they  really 
do  have  such  an  action  is  shown  by  the  statements  made  in  the 
previous  chapter.  Since  grapes  have  a  stimulating  effect  upon 
the  intestinal  walls,  they  may  induce  a  daily  bowel  movement 
in  chronic  intestinal  constipation  and  in  chronic  intestinal 
catarrh  with  constipation;  in  cases  of  intestinal  catarrh 
with  diarrhea  and  abnormal  putrefaction  their  antiseptic 
action  may  come  into  play.  Owing  to  the  high  content  of 
sugar,  grapes  cause  acid  fermentation — in  the  same  way  as 
do  large  amounts  of  carbohydrates — by  means  of  which  a 
decided  disinfection  of  the  intestine  is  accomplished  through 
the  agency  of  the  lactic  acid  produced.  Injurious  decomposi- 
tion products  are  thus  destroyed.  Owing  to  this  property,  as 
well  as  through  the  diminished  viscidity  of  the  blood  induced, 
especially  in  a  chiefly  vegetarian  diet,  the  grape  cure  may  also 


288  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

be  very  useful  in  a  great  many  cases  of  arteriosclerosis.  A 
decided  diminution  of  very  high  blood-pressure  was  observed 
in  such  cures.  Favorable  results  have  also  been  reported,  prin- 
cipally by  French  authors,  in  many  cases  of  chronic  kidney 
diseases.  In  gout,  obesity,  and  emphysema,  and  also  in  many 
skin  affections  accompanying  decomposition  processes  in  the 
intestines,  very  favorable  results  were  obtained.  In  diseases 
of  the  liver  and  in  gallstones  I  advise  a  grape  cure  in  the 
autumn,  following  the  Carlsbad  cure.  The  quantity  to  be 
taken  daily  is  from  i  to  2  kilos,  beginning  with  a  small  quan- 
tity and  gradually  increasing.  The  grapes  are  to  be  taken  in 
the  morning  on  an  empty  stomach,  then  one  hour  before  both 
the  midday  and  evening  meals.  That  walking  in  the  open  air, 
which  can  be  so  agreeably  accomplished  in  lovely  Meran,  with 
its  wonderful  climate,  materially  assists  the  cure  can  be  readily 
understood;  walking  also  plays  an  important  role  in  other 
cures.  According  to  my  own  experience,  in  spending  weeks  at 
a  time  in  Meran,  I  know  that  large  quantities  of  grapes,  from 
I  to  2  kilos,  also  have  a  very  beneficial  action  upon  a  healthy 
person,  especially  when  the  juicy  and  tender-skinned  variety 
to  be  had  in  Meran  is  taken.  It  is  important,  however,  that 
during  this  cure  certain  dietetic  restrictions  be  observed ;  foods 
having  an  irritating  action  upon  the  intestine  must  not  be  taken, 
the  use  of  tobacco  and  alcohol  must  be  restricted,  and  beer 
should  be  as  much  as  possible  avoided.  The  mouth  should 
always  be  washed  after  eating  large  quantities  of  grapes; 
otherwise  inflammation  of  the  mucous  membrane  may  set  in, 
and  the  teeth  may  be  injured.  The  length  of  the  cure  is  from 
four  to  six  weeks.  The  most  popular  resorts  for  the  grape 
cures  are  Meran  and  Montreux  and  several  other  places  on  the 
Lake  of  Geneva,  both  on  the  Swiss  and  the  Savoy  shores  of 
the  lake. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    289 


7.  The  Advantages  of  Fruit  Juices,  Marmalades,  and  Jellies. 

By  simple  prohibition  it  is  not  possible  to  successfully 
combat  alcoholism.  One  must  provide  for  the  people  who 
suffer  from  thirst  in  the  summer,  and  who  do  not  like  to  drink 
water — unfortunately,  there  are  many  such — a  refreshing 
drink  which  will  quench  their  thirsts.  For  this  there  is  prob- 
ably nothing  more  suitable  and  to  the  purpose  than  a  drink  of 
fruit  juice.  This  would  also  have  the  advantage  that,  even 
though  taken  in  large  quantities,  it  would  not  be  injurious, 
which  can  certainly  not  be  said  of  alcoholic  drinks.  The  fruit 
juices  have  a  certain  curative  action  in  the  body  because  of  the 
organic  acids  contained  in  them,  which  quench  the  thirst  more 
satisfactorily  than  almost  any  other  substance,  and  because  of 
their  nutritive  salt  content.  These,  like  the  ethereal  essences 
which  so  greatly  affect  the  flavor  and  aroma  of  the  fruit,  are 
largely  contained  in  the  skins,  which  are  usually  thrown  away ; 
the  skins  are  especially  rich  in  iron  and  soda.  The  best  kinds 
of  fruit  juices,  those  of  the  agriot  and  cherry,  and  of  apples 
and  huckleberries,  have  an  indescribable  aroma.  According  to 
J.  Konig,^  the  amount  of  sugar,  acids,  and  of  important  salts 
contained  in  certain  fruit  juices  are  as  follows : — 

In  100  cubic  centimeters  are  contained 


Fruit  juices. 

1 . 

So 

00 

2  . 
^0 

sll 

S"5 

<o 

J3 

1. 

£0 

k 

9.43 

^.U 

0.321 

0.115 

0.088 
Pectin  0.560 
"       0.960 

0.061 
Pectin  0.754 

0.224 
Pectin  0.760 

0.44 

0.45 
0.64 
0.50 
0.29 
0.27 
0.59 
0.30 
0.47 

0.209 

0.097 
0.097 
0.086 

0.140 
0.076 

0  019 

Cherry   "      

12  .'ri 

0.753 

0  021 

Strawberry  juice 

Raspberry       "     

Huckleberry  "     

Gooseberry      "     

Currant           "     

Bilberry           "     

Peach               "     

5. 
S. 
6. 
6. 
8. 
8. 
3. 

33 
33 
27 
12 
35 
57 
85 

1.040 
1.846 
1.130 
1.650 
2.920 
2.200 
0.684 

0!026 
0.032 

0.036 
0.046 

1  Konig :    "Chemie  der  Nahrungsmittel,"  ii,  p.  965. 

19 


290  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

The  above  table  shows  that  certain  fruit  juices,  as,  for 
example,  that  of  the  cherry,  contain  quite  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  nutritive  substances.  In  fevers  these  fruit  juices  are 
very  beneficial,  as  the  nourishment  to  be  obtained  from  them  is 
perhaps  the  only  one  that  can  be  tolerated.  Their  high  content 
of  acids  and  salts  makes  them  perhaps  even  more  advantageous 
than  the  fruits  themselves.  They  have  a  thinning  effect  upon 
the  blood,  thus  diminishing  its  viscidity,  and  are  consequently 
an  excellent  drink  for  arteriosclerotics,  and  all  the  more  so 
since  alcohol  is  here  absolutely  contraindicated.  I  have  found 
that  these  fruit  juices  have  a  stimulating  action  upon  the 
bowels  when  taken  in  considerable  quantities.  The  uric  acid 
eliminating  and  alkalinizing  properties  of  fruit  juices  are  even 
greater  than  in  the  fruit ;  so  their  use  is  indicated  in  gout.  I 
have  obtained  good  results  with  huckleberry  juice  in  chronic 
intestinal  catarrh  with  frequent  diarrhea. 

Diuresis  is  likewise  favorably  affected.  Of  well-made 
fruit  juices  made  exclusively  from  fresh  fruits,  large  quanti- 
ties are  well  tolerated  by  persons  in  good  health;  I  am  fond 
of  taking  in  summer  the  "Ceres"  fruit  juices  made  in  a  factory 
in  Bohemia,  not  far  from  Carlsbad.  I  found  the  apple,  cherry, 
and  huckleberry  juices  the  best,  and  sometimes  took  a  pint  or 
even  more  daily.  In  cases  of  hyperacidity  of  the  stomach  I 
would  forbid  the  use  of  some  of  them,  especially  those  made 
from  apples  and  bilberries ;  in  such  cases  fruits  and  fruit  juices 
are  frequently  not  well  tolerated.  In  constipation,  etc.,  I  ob- 
tained the  best  results  by  the  use  of  grape,  cherry,  and  agriot 
juices. 

For  diabetics  those  made  of  fruits  poor  in  sugar,  such 
as  the  bilberry  and  huckleberry,  without  the  addition  of  any 
sugar,  give  good  results,  especially  since,  on  account  of  the 
dryness  of  the  mouth,  such  patients  are  constantly  craving 
something  to  drink.  It  is  of  course  necessary  that  these  fruit 
juices  be  made  under  conditions  of  especial  cleanliness.    They 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    291 

are  made  by  removing  the  stems  and  seeds,  then  mashing  and 
squeezing  out  the  fruit.  Some  cane-sugar  is  then  added,  and 
the  product  is  sterilized  and  put  into  sterilized  bottles,  which 
are  hermetically  sealed.  When  the  bottles  are  opened  the  con- 
tents will  keep  only  one  or  two  days,  after  which  fermentation 
sets  in.  This  proves  that  no  antiseptic  substances  for  the  pre- 
vention of  fermentation  are  contained  in  the  syrups.  There  is 
probably  nothing  else  in  which  falsification  is  so  easily  prac- 
ticable as  in  the  manufacture  of  fruit  juices  and  marmalades. 
The  sugar  is  often  replaced  by  saccharin,  and  boric  and  salicylic 
acids,  etc.,  are  added  as  preservative  agents.  These  are  in- 
jurious for  the  kidneys,  as  these  drinks  of  themselves  have  a 
diuretic  action,  and  such  substances  cause  irritation  of  the 
kidneys.  Fruit  syrups  made  in  this  way  are  more  harmful 
than  beneficial. 

When  the  fruits  are  cooked,  after  the  stems,  seeds,  and 
skins  have  been  removed,  marmalades  are  made.  We  use 
principally  that  made  from  plums  ("powidl").  It  is  much  the 
best  to  always  make  these  marmalades  at  home,  as  those  which 
are  bought  often  contain  more  sugar  than  fruit. 

8.  Chestnuts  and  Fat-containing  Fruits,  with  Remarks 
Concerning  Vegetable  Fats. 

We  are  now  concerned  with  the  most  complete  vegetable 
foods,  i.e.,  most  complete  as  regards  their  nutritious  compo- 
nents, since  these  fruits  contain  considerable  quantities  of  each 
of  the  three  main  groups  of  nutritive  substances, — albumin, 
carbohydrates,  and  fats.  The  albumin,  which  is  generally  but 
poorly  represented  in  fruits,  is  quite  plentiful  in  these;  the 
shelled  groundnut  contains  as  much  as  30  per  cent.,  but  here 
again  it  is  assimilated  only  with  difficulty.  Vegetarians  living 
only  upon  fruits  and  nuts  must  have  an  ironclad  stomach  and 
intestine,  for  through  habit  they  seem  to  tolerate  such  foods 


292  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

far  better  than  other  people.  They  must  also  be  blessed  with 
very  good  teeth,  foods  of  this  kind  requiring  much  mastica- 
tion. But  however  well  masticated  they  may  be — even  into  a 
fine  pulp — they  are  often  not  well  borne  and  assimilated.  Of 
the  high  carbohydrate  content  of  the  chestnut,  for  instance, 
which  closely  approaches  that  of  the  cereals,  a  large  portion  is 
lost  in  the  intestine.  These  fruits  contain  the  largest  amount 
of  fat  of  any  of  the  vegetable  products.  The  digestibility  of 
these  fats  is  exceeded  by  those  of  animal  origin ;  although  it  is 
generally  stated  that  vegetable  fats  are  as  easily  digested  as  the 
animal  fats,  yet  I  have  always  found  that  after  having  ingested 
vegetable  fats,  even  of  the  very  best  sorts,  acid  eructations  are 
apt  to  be  induced.  It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  majority 
of  vegetable  fats  contain  larger  amounts  of  free  fatty  acids 
than  those  of  animal  origin.  The  best  fat  for  cooking  is 
butter,  and  no  vegetable  fat  can  ever  approach  or  equal  it  in 
regard  to  digestibility.  The  cocoanut,  among  the  fat-furnish- 
ing fruits,  contains  a  large  amount  of  free  fatty  acids — from 
the  kernel  or  "copra"  of  this  nut  oil  is  extracted.  According 
to  Salkowski,^  linseed  oil  contains  3.45  per  cent,  of  free  fatty 
acid,  and  cottonseed  oil  only  0.19  per  cent. — probably  the 
least  amount  present  in  any  of  this  class  of  products.  The 
olive  oil  used  for  salads,  etc.,  and  frequently  employed  for 
cooking  in  the  South,  contains  1.17  per  cent,  of  free  fatty  acid. 
Following  is,  according  to  J.  Konig,  the  average  chemi- 
cal composition  of  several  fat-containing  fruits,  such  as 
chestnuts : — 


1  Cited  after  Konig,  ii,  p.  109. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    293 


English  walnuts 

Hazelnuts 

Sweet  almonds  . 

Chestnuts 

Groundnuts  .  . . . 
Pistachio  nutsi  , 

Cocoanut  

"        milk.. 


^ 

. 

^ 

"S- 

5" 

•go 

a  >-' 

^^ 

&.CL, 

feOn 

UPh 

UOi 

7.11 

15.57 

57.43 

13.08 

4.59 

7.11 

17.41 

62.60 

7.22 

3.17 

6.02 

23.49 

53.02 

7.84 

6.51 

7.34 

10.76 

2.90 

73.04 

2.99 

6.95 

27.65 

45.80 

16.75 

2.11 

7.40 

21.70 

51.10 

14.00 

2.50 

5.81 

8.88 

67.00 

12.44 

.... 

91.17 

0.38 

0.11 

traces. 

4.42 

3.12 


In  the  dry  substance  are  contained : — 


Prote'n. 
Per  cent. 

Fat. 
Per  cent. 

Encflish  walnuts 

16.99 
18.73 
24.99 
11.61 
29.31 
9.73 

61.87 

Hazelnuts      

67.39 

Almonds        

56.42 

Chestnuts                   

Groundnuts                     .         

49  22 

71.13 

The  nutrient  salts  present  in  chestnuts  comprise,  according 
toE.  Wolff:— 


Potash. 
Per  cent. 


56.69 


Iron     Phosphoric    Silicic 
Soda.         Lime.     Magnesia,     oxide.         acid.  acid.      Chlorine. 

Percent.    Percent.    Percent.     Percent.  Percent.    Percent.    Percent. 

7.12         3.87         7.41         0.14         18.5  1.54         0.52 


We  may  gather,  from  the  aboA^e  table,  how  very  nutritious 
these  seed  fruits  are;  their  consistency  is  unfortunately  such, 
however,  that  they  are  hard  to  digest.  Even  when  chestnuts 
— which  contain  so  much  carbohydrate  material  (up  tO'  73  per 
cent.) — are  ground  to  a  fine  powder,  as  it  is  done  in  France 
and  Corsica,  they  are  not  capable  of  ready  assimilation.  I  have 
frequently  noticed  in  the  feces  a  considerable  amount  of  the 
chestnuts  which  had  been  previously  ingested,  even  when  well 
masticated  or  taken  in  the  form  of  a  puree. 


1  From  a  table  by  Hutchison,  loc.  cit.,  p.  260. 


294  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

If,  therefore,  in  the  south  of  France  and  in  Corsica  a  cer- 
tain portion  of  the  population  live  during  the  winter  chiefly 
upon  foods  made  from  chestnut  flour  and  from  the  nuts  them- 
selves, and  remain  quite  healthy  and  robust,  it  must  be  sup- 
posed that  the  digestion  and  assimilation  of  this  variety  of  food 
are  improved  by  constant  use.  For  us,  however,  chestnuts, 
even  when  taken  in  the  most  advantageous  way — in  the  puree 
form,  so  frequently  used  as  an  accompaniment  to  fine  game 
and  venison — constitute  a  very  indigestible  food.  Whoever 
wishes  to  indulge  in  roasted  chestnuts  must  have  a  good  stom- 
ach. Even  candied  chestnuts  {marrons  glacis)  are  only  suit- 
able for  the  best  of  digestions.  There  is  probably  no  other 
country  in  which  there  are  so  many  chestnut  trees  as  in 
Corsica;  the  amount  of  wealth  represented  in  these  trees  for 
that  comparatively  poor  island  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  only 
a  few  years  ago  chestnuts  aggregating  in  value  5  millions  of 
francs  were  exported.  Unfortunately,  many  of  these  very 
useful  trees  are  now  being  sacrificed;  factories  have  been 
erected  for  obtaining  the  tannin  from  them.  Another  wound 
inflicted  upon  agriculture  by  the  manufacturing  industries ! 

After  the  chestnuts,  walnuts  are  most  used  with  us, — 
hazelnuts  not  so  much.  Nuts  constitute  a  very  palatable  food, 
and  true  vegetarians,  particularly  those  living  solely  upon 
fruit,  could  not  well  get  along  without  them.  They  furnish  a 
considerable  quantity  of  albumin,  and  also  much  fat.  Owing 
to  the  quantity  of  fat,  and  unfortunately  also  of  cellulose,  they 
are  very  indigestible,  even  when  finely  chopped.  They  are 
therefore  best  adapted  for  use  in  other  foods,  particularly  cakes 
and  pastry.  In  Austria  a  much-liked  dish,  potato  noodles  with 
chopped  nuts,  is  very  appetizing.  Fresh  nuts  are  rather  more 
easily  digested  than  old,  dried  ones.  The  fatty  varieties  are 
also  apt  to  become  rancid  when  old,  and  are  consequently  not 
adapted  for  sensitive  stomachs.  Certain  food  products  are 
made  from  finely  ground  nuts — nuttose,  for  instance — with 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     295 

the  aid  of  which  the  vegetarian  kitchen  is  able  to  prepare  very 
palatable  and  nourishing  dishes,  A  very  excellent  nut  which  I 
first  ate  in  a  vegetarian  restaurant  in  London  is  the  Sapucian 
nut,  a  Brazilian  variety,  I  consider  it  more  digestible  than 
nuts  in  general,  I  may  also  mention  that  nuts  are  rich  in 
phosphorus,  the  ash  containing  nearly  44  per  cent,  of  it.  The 
nutrient  salt  content  of  nuts  is  given  by  Konig  as  follows : — 


Potash. 
Per  cent. 

Soda. 
Per  cent. 

Lime. 
Per  cent. 

Magnesia. 
Per  cent. 

Iron  oxide. 
Per  cent. 

Phosphoric 

acid. 

Per  cent. 

31.11 

2.34 

8.80 

13.07 

1.32 

43.70 

Hazelnuts  are  also  rich  in  phosphorus,  for,  according  to 
Balland,  they  contain  in  the  fresh  substance  0.35  per  cent,  phos- 
phorus and  0.81  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid.  Hazelnuts  are  pos- 
sibly even  more  indigestible  than  walnuts.  Groundnuts  (pea- 
nuts) from  the  Congo,  which  I  often  ate,  seemed  to  be  rather 
more  easily  digested.  They  form  a  sort  of  middle  substance 
between  leguminous  vegetables  and  hazelnuts;  they  grow  in 
pods  resembling  those  of  the  pea,  which  grow  very  near  the 
ground.  The  nut  itself  looks  somewhat  like  our  hazelnut.  I 
found  the  taste  more  agreeable  than  the  latter,  and  could  toler- 
ate more  of  them.  According  to  Balland's  analysis,  ground- 
nuts are  also  quite  rich  in  phosphorus.  They  contain  in  the 
fresh  substance  0.44  per  cent.,  with  1.02  per  cent,  of  phosphoric 
acid.  Their  chemical  composition  is  as  follows,  according  to 
Balland :— 


i 
it 

u 

it 

is. 

ll 

lit 

II 

11 

i 

II 

Minimum 

4.80 
8.00 

20.19 
30.24 

40.75 
50.50 

8.37 

21.  a 

1.8S 
5.15 

1  20 

Maximum 

4  20 

Other  similar  nuts  are  likewise  rich  in  phosphorus,  e.g., 
the  Indian  kemiri  nut.    Jebbink  found  in  them  1.79  per  cent. 


296  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

of  phosphoric  acid.  Among  the  oily  varieties  of  nuts,  I  con- 
sider the  pistachio  as  the  most  digestible,  and  one  can  eat  quite 
a  number  of  them. 

Almonds  belong  to  the  indigestible  varieties;  the  oil  ob- 
tained from  them  is  valuable,  as  is  also  that  of  the  cocoanut, 
which  contains,  according  to  Salkowski,  3  per  cent,  free  fatty 
acid.  The  cocoanut  has  a  property  which  is  much  appreciated 
— it  is  said  to  be  very  beneficial  in  cases  where  there  are  in- 
testinal worms.  Many  kinds  of  nuts  which  contain  much  fat 
have  a  stimulating  action  upon  the  bowel  movements,  as  do 
fats  in  general  when  taken  in  considerable  quantities.  Mithri- 
dates  and  Pliny  ascribed  to  nuts  the  property  of  immunizing 
against  poisons.  It  might  also  be  mentioned  in  this  connection 
that  larger  quantities  of  alcohol  can  be  tolerated  when  many 
nuts  are  eaten,  possibly  because  its  absorption  is  rendered  more 
difficult.  This  might  perhaps  also  explain  the  opinions  of  the 
ancient  authors  above  mentioned. 

9.  Tropical  Fruits  and  their  Advantages. 

Galenus  stated  that  the  guardians  of  vineyards  all  grew 
fat  because  they  ate  so  many  figs  and  grapes.  This  will  be 
readily  understood  when  we  consider  how  nourishing  these 
fruits  are ;  the  property  which  especially  characterizes  figs  and 
tropical  fruits  in  general  is  the  great  amount  of  sugar  they 
contain,  which  in  the  dried  fruits  is  sometimes  simply  enor- 
mous; so  that  they  would  amply  suffice  for  the  entire  amount 
of  carbohydrate  required  per  day.  Furthermore  there  is  also 
much  less  acid  in  dried  fruits ;  so  their  sweetness  is  not  in  any 
way  diminished  by  the  latter,  as  is  the  case  in  the  other  fruits. 
The  fig  is  one  of  the  southern  fruits  most  used  by  us;  in  the 
fresh  state  it  is  very  juicy  and  has  a  very  pleasant  taste.  The 
quantity  of  little  seeds  contained  in  figs  does  less  harm  in  the 
digestion  than  is  the  case  with  berries.    Figs  have  a  stimulat- 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     297 

ing  effect  upon  the  bowels  both  in  the  fresh  and  the  dried  state, 
as  these  minute  seeds  exert  a  shght  mechanical  irritation. 
Fresh  figs  are  easily  digested,  but  not  the  dried  ones,  which 
contain  much  cellulose — 7.82  per  cent.,  according  to  Balland. 
He  gives  their  composition  as  follows : — 


Fresh  figs 
Dried  figs 


i.- 

is 

§ 

^1 

Sis 

11 

11 

11 

II 

0  (£ 

0(2 

0.79 

0  32 

48.30 

3.85 

1.23 

2.36 

2.10 

48.40 

5.27 

7.82 

.a  1^ 


0.21 
3.15 


We  see  by  the  above  that  dried  figs  are  a  most  nourishing 
food.  In  studying  the  Koran,  I  found  allusion  to  this  fact — 
in  the  "Surat  al  Tin."  According  to  the  commentaries  of 
Sale  and  Halaleddin,  the  fig  is  a  very  healthful  and  easily 
digested  food,  which  is  much  prized  by  the  Orientals  as  a 
remedy  in  kidney  and  bladder  troubles,  gallstones,  hemor- 
rhoids, and  gout.^  Among  the  dried  figs  those  imported  from 
Smyrna  are  most  easily  digested,  and  they  also  have  the  best 
taste.  Dates  are  even  sweeter,  but  they  are  more  difficult  to 
digest.  They  are  frequently  as  sweet  as  honey;  according  to 
my  experience,  I  consider  the  fresh  ones  which  come  from 
Tunis  the  easiest  to  digest.  When  they  are  dried  they  are  very 
hard  and  must  be  especially  well  masticated.  According  to 
Balland,  the  Algerian  dates  have  the  following  constituents : — 


Protein. 

Fat. 

Sugar. 

carbohydrates. 

Cellulose. 

SaltSi 

'er  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

1.16 

0.06 

51.30 

15.80 

5.06 

1.32 

Dates  contain  almost  twice  as  much  phosphoric  acid  as  do 
figs.     In  the  fresh  substance  they  contain  0.12  per  cent,  of 


1  "The   Quuran,    Commentaries   on   the   Quuran,"   by   the   Rev.   E. 
Wherry,  London,  1896,  p.  257. 


298  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

phosphorus  and  0.29  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid,  while  figs 
have  0,07  per  cent,  phosphorus  and  0.17  per  cent,  of  phosphoric 
acid.  I  find  that  when  dates  are  not  old  they  are  not  partic- 
ularly difficult  to  digest,  and  they  should  be  more  used. 

Dried  grapes,  which  come  to  us  as  raisins  from  Greece 
or  Smyrna,  contain  a  very  large  amount  of  sugar;  they  are 
principally  used  in  cooking  as  additions  to  other  foods,  such  as 
rice,  pastry,  etc.  Even  when  in  the  dried  state  they  are,  ac- 
cording to  my  experience,  a  useful  article  of  diet;  I  have  fre- 
quently eaten,  after  a  vegetarian  meal,  as  much  as  yi  kilo, 
naturally  without  the  seeds.  When  the  seeds  are  removed — in 
Greece  and  in  the  Orient — the  process  of  removal  does  not 
seem  to  be  carried  on  with  any  great  degree  of  cleanliness ;  it 
is  consequently  advisable  to  clean  the  raisins  well  before  using 
them.  The  Malaga  grapes,  which  also  come  to  us  in  the  dried 
state,  are  somewhat  more  difficult  to  digest,  and  they  always 
contain  the  seeds. 

According  to  Balland,  raisins  contain  0.41  per  cent,  of  pro- 
tein, 0.56  per  cent,  fat,  and  the  very  large  amount  of  74.60  per 
cent,  of  sugar,  together  with  2  per  cent,  of  other  carbohydrates 
and  less  than  2  per  cent,  of  cellulose.  Raisins  are  probably  the 
most  useful  of  the  varieties  mentioned  above,  since  they  contain 
much  more  sugar,  and  are  not  indigestible  for  a  healthy  stom- 
ach; when  cooked  they  can  also  be  digested  by  delicate 
stomachs.  They  may  consequently  be  recommended  in  a 
strictly  vegetarian  diet,  and  each  meal,  especially  of  the  fruit- 
and  nut-  eating  vegetarians,  should  end  with  a  generous  supply 
of  raisins.  In  %  kilo  about  750  calories  are  furnished ;  and 
when  in  addition  dried  bananas,  English  walnuts,  and  pistachio 
nuts  are  used,  a  very  nourishing  meal  will  have  been  taken. 
Nuts  containing  quite  appreciable  quantities  of  albumin,  such 
as  groundnuts  and  almonds,  are  valuable  adjuncts  to  the  daily 
ration  of  a  fruit-eating  vegetarian. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    299 


lo.  The  Special  Advantages  of  Bananas. 

There  is  probably  no  more  nourishing  fruit,  or  one  whose 
cultivation  would  be  more  valuable  for  mankind,  than  the 
banana ;  it  has  been  stated  that  the  fortunate  individuals  who 
have  planted  them  in  San  Salvador,  Brazil,  and  Java  obtain 
returns  43  times  greater  from  them  than  from  potatoes.  This 
wonderful  plant  has  a  remarkable  resisting  power  against  in- 
jury of  any  kind,  and  is  seldom  affected  in  any  way.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  advantages  bananas  possess  others  even  more 
interesting  for  us — their  nourishing  qualities  and  easy  diges- 
tion. In  the  fresh  state  the  banana  contains  from  16  to  22  per 
cent,  of  carbohydrates,  thus  even  more  than  the  potato;  when 
dried  in  the  sun  they  contain,  according  to  Balland  (referring 
to  Tahiti  bananas),  about  70  per  cent,  of  sugar  and  some  varie- 
ties from  Surinam  even  more.  As  far  as  their  digestibility  is 
concerned,  I  have  personally  observed  that  when  eating  a  per- 
fectly ripe  banana  it  will  almost  melt  in  the  mouth,  when  simply 
turned  around  several  times,  without  any  actual  mastication, 
and  only  the  few  stringy  fibers  in  the  middle  of  the  fruit  will 
remain.  In  this  way  2  or  3  large  bananas  may  be  eaten  with- 
out there  being  any  feeling  of  discomfort  in  the  stomach.  I 
once  saw  a  young  American  lady  from  the  West  who  could  eat 
26  bananas  one  after  the  other  without  experiencing  any  dis- 
comfort. Of  course,  bananas  are  only  thus  digestible  when 
quite  ripe;  those  still  somewhat  green  are  less  so,  especially 
when  they  feel  hard  on  the  outside,  although  when  very  well 
masticated  they  are  easily  dissolved.  When  they  are  quite 
yellow  and  already  have  a  few  black  spots  on  the  outside  they 
can  be  best  digested;  they  are  then  softer  and  also  sweeter. 
The  sweetest  and  best-tasting  bananas  come  from  the  Canary 
Islands ;  next  come  the  red  bananas  of  the  West  African  coast, 
and  then  those  from  Surinam  and  the  West  Indies,  and  the 
Congo  and  Brazilian  varieties.     In  Java  there  are  also  some 


300 


Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


sweet  "pisangs,"  as  the  bananas  are  there  called,  but  they  are 
not  much  exported  into  Holland.  The  cold-storage  rooms 
which  are  to  be  placed  in  the  vessels  of  the  Nederland  Steamr 
ship  Company  may  perhaps  bring  about  a  great  change  in  this 
respect.  Bananas  are  not  only  nutritious  owing  to  their  car- 
bohydrate content,  but  also  because  of  the  albumin  they  con- 
tain ;  in  the  fresh  fruit  there  is  very  little,  but  when  dried  there 
is  more.  In  the  tables  submitted  below,  the  one  by  Schall  and 
Heisler  gives  the  nutrient  contents  of  the  fresh  bananas,  while 
Balland  sfives  those  of  the  dried  fruit : — 


as 

1 

61 

.i 

SI 

11! 

O     0- 

Fresh  bananas     

1.00 
4.57 

1.10 
0.45 

18.20 
64.48 

74.90 
20.10 

2;86 

79  00 

Dried  bananas 

According  to  Konig,  the  fresh  and  dried  bananas  contain 
the  following  constituents : — 


o 

^ 

^ 

2 

a. 

.^ 

-s§ 

i 

ii 

1  § 

|8 

O  <-' 

<a  3] 

U0^^ 

UO- 

Fresh  bananas 

1.40 
5.25 

0.47 
2.25 

21.57 
52.40 

29.12 

0  60 

Dried  bananas 

2  07 

The  sugar  content  of  fresh  fruit  is  greater  when  it  is  fully 
ripe.  The  nutritive  value  of  this  fruit  is  shown  in  a  table  by 
Schall  and  Heisler,  which  gives  the  following  quantities  of 
nutrient  substances  in  a  banana  weighing  with  the  skin  lOO 
grams  and  70  grams  without:  Albumin,  0.68  gram;  fat,  o.i 
gram;  carbohydrates,  12.4  grams,  making,  in  all,  55  calories. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    301 

In  6  bananas,  a  number  which  I  frequently  ate  after  a  meal, 
330  calories  are  furnished. 

The  dried  banana  is  especially  nutritious,  representing 
about  3000  calories  per  kilo.  I  myself  found — as  I  frequently 
ate  those  sent  from  Herrenhut,  in  Saxony,  and  also  the  dried 
Surinam  variety  so  popular  in  Holland — that  they  were  so 
sweet  as  to  make  my  teeth  fairly  ache.  I  could  eat  five  or  six 
of  these  dried  ones  without  experiencing  any  difficulty.  After 
they  have  been  left  soaking  in  water  for  about  half  an  hour 
they  are  still  very  sweet;  so  the  sugar  content  seems  to  be 
natural  in  the  fruit.  Undoubtedly  these  dried  bananas  are  a 
very  nutritious  food,  which  is  also,  easily  digested  when  not 
too  much  is  taken  at  one  time.  The  fresh  banana  could  really 
fill  about  the  same  place  in  a  purely  vegetable  diet  as  does  the 
potato  in  a  mixed  diet,  and  all  the  more  sO'  since  the  carbohy- 
drate content  is  about  the  same.  Bananas,  however,  have  the 
great  advantage  that  their  use  does  not  involve  an  increase  of 
salt  in  the  body.  To  be  sure,  when  one  wishes  to  have  the 
sweetest  kinds  at  the  lowest  price,  it  will  be  necessary  to  travel 
to  London.  There  one  may  buy  two  very  large,  sweet  ones  for 
4  cents  or  even  less ;  they  are,  however,  diminishing  in  price  in 
this  country  (Austria),  as  the  demand  for  them  is  growing 
greater. 

Bananas  may  be  prepared  in  various  ways;  they  can  be 
fried  and  baked,  and  those  not  yet  quite  ripe  are  in  this  way 
rendered  more  digestible.  Cut  in  slices  they  may  be  baked  in 
pastry  and  also  be  used  in  omelets.  Bananas  are  likewise  very 
useful  in  the  form  of  flour ;  this  is  also  easily  digested,  although 
it  is  made  from  the  unripe  fruit.  This  flour  contains  as  much 
as  80  per  cent,  of  carbohydrate.  When  a  very  ripe  banana  is 
laid  upon  a  hot  stove  in  the  skin  it  develops  a  wonderful  aroma, 
and  the  fruit  becomes  partially  dissolved.  Such  a  remarkably 
useful  fruit  is  surely  deserving  of  greater  attention  in  Europe. 
It  is  often  used  for  medicinal  purposes ;  in  the  French  colonies 


302  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

in  Cochin  China  it  is  prepared  in  the  form  of  a  puree,  to  be  used 
in  cases  of  severe  and  prolonged  diarrhea.  It  has  the  same 
effect  on  the  intestine  as  any  very  sweet  vegetable  food,  namely, 
it  reduces  decomposition  through  a  lactic  acid  fermentation. 
This  action  was  observed  by  Collin  in  20  cases,  in  which,  in- 
stead of  giving  milk,  which  cannot  readily  be  obtained  in  that 
country,  he  used  a  banana  diet.  It  is  thus  endowed  with  a 
remedial  action  which  is  not  only  beneficial  in  intestinal  affec- 
tions, but  in  a  healthy  person  as  well. 

In  much  the  same  way  as  a  rice  diet  and  the  use  of  much 
sugar  in  general,  banana  has  an  antiseptic  action  upon  the 
decomposition  products  in  the  intestine,  and  may  also  prevent 
their  development.  But  simply  on  account  of  its  digestibility 
and  great  nutritive  value  the  banana  is  a  very  healthful  food. 
It  contains  also  an  appreciable  quantity  of  phosphorus — o.ii 
per  cent,  in  the  fresh  substance,  with  0.27  per  cent,  of  phos- 
phoric acid. 

II.  Oranges,  Lemons,  and  Grapefruit. 

As  a  refreshing  fruit  which  is  at  our  disposal  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  the  year,  none  is  more  useful  than  the 
orange.  Both  the  fruit  and  the  skin  can  be  made  use  of.  The 
pulp  is  much  developed  in  some  varieties,  especially  in  Messina 
and  Jaffa  oranges,  but  particularly  so  in  the  California  navel 
oranges,  which  are  rarely  seen  in  this  country  (Austria)  ;  they 
have  a  very  sweet,  rich  pulp,  but  the  Sicilian  and  Palestine 
oranges  are  more  juicy.  I  found  the  Florida  oranges  very 
sweet,  but  the  pulp  is  not  so  fully  developed  as  in  the  Cali- 
fornia varieties.  During  my  stay  in  these  warm  climates  and 
in  Mexico,  I  was  in  the  habit  of  taking  every  morning — on  an 
empty  stomach — several  of  the  wonderfully  fine  oranges  to  be 
had  there ;  they  agreed  with  me  very  well.  When  one  should 
eat  oranges  can  be  best  learned  from  the  Brazilian  proverb: 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    303 

A  Naranja  e  oura  na  manhad,  no  meiodia  prata  e  na  noite 
mata.  (The  orange  is  golden  at  breakfast,  silver  at  dinner, 
and  deadly  at  night. )  It  is  a  general  custom  in  America  to  eat 
I  or  2  oranges  at  the  beginning  of  breakfast ;  the  grapefruit  is 
even  more  used.  This  is  a  glorious  fruit,  two  or  three  times  as 
large  as  the  orange,  and  when  not  fully  ripe  is  rather  acid  and 
bitter,  but  when  ripe  it  is  quite  sweet,  with  an  agreeable, 
slightly  bitter  flavor.  This  fruit  may  be  bought  in  Vienna  and 
in  the  seaport  cities  in  Germany,  e.g.,  Hamburg,  but  can  also 
be  found  in  Berlin  and  other  large  cities.  It  is  especially 
characterized  by  a  great  abundance  of  juice.  It  is  best  eaten 
when  halved — in  the  skin — the  central  portion  containing  the 
seeds  is  then  cut  out  and  the  juice  flows  into  the  cavity  thus 
formed.  A  circular  cut  separates  the  pulp  from  the  skin,  and  a 
series  of  cuts  are  then  made  toward  the  periphery,  which 
loosens  it  from  the  dividing  skin.  The  juice  is  eaten  with  a 
spoon.  This  is  certainly  a  very  delicious  and  healthful  food, 
especially  in  hot  climates  or  on  a  summer  morning  before 
breakfast.  It  has  a  very  pleasant  effect  upon  a  dry  throat,  and 
is  said  to  be  efficacious  in  fever  in  hot  climates.  Owing  to  its 
content  of  citric  acid  salts  and  of  acids,  it  has  a  beneficial  action 
upon  the  bowels,  especially  when  eaten  in  the  morning  upon 
an  empty  stomach.  It  has  the  same  general  effect  upon  the 
health  and  certain  disease  conditions  as  the  acid  and  nutrient 
salt-containing  fruits,  just  as  has  the  orange.  The  juice  of 
the  orange  contains,  according  to  Konig,  3.9  per  cent,  of  invert- 
sugar,  1.93  per  cent,  of  free  citric  and  malic  acid,  together 
with  1.39  per  cent,  of  potassium  citrate  and  0.25  per  cent,  of 
calcium  citrate. 

In  regard  to  medicinal  properties  the  lemon  surpasses  the 
two  fruits  above  mentioned.  When  used  as  lemonade  made 
with  water  containing  carbonic  acid  gas,  it  is  very  refreshing 
and  may  be  efficacious  in  gastric  disturbances.  The  juice  is 
beneficial  for  the  prevention  and  cure  of  tonsillitis.     It  is  also 


304  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

much  used  in  gout ;  for  this  purpose  several  lemons  should  be 
taken  daily.  In  several  instances  which  have  come  under  my 
notice,  lemon  juice  seemed  to  have  a  favorable  effect  in  ton- 
sillitis. Oranges  and  grapefruit  are  especially  useful  in  dia- 
betes because  of  the  very  small  quantity  of  sugar  which  they 
contain.  I  usually  allow  my  diabetic  patients  to  eat  one  or 
two  oranges  every  day. 

According  to  Darwin  and  Buffon,  monkeys  are  in  the 
habit  of  eating  lemons  when  not  feeling  quite  well.  Darwin 
observed  several  monkeys  which  had  been  made  drunk  on  alco- 
hol the  previous  day.  Of  all  the  foods  placed  before  them  they 
ate  only  the  lemons. 

12.  Concerning  Certain  Varieties  of  Fruits  Little  Used  except 
in  their  Native  Countries  {Pineapple,  Kaki,  Chinese 
Lichees,  Mangoes,  and  Gnavas). 

The  pineapple  is  probably  not  exceeded  by  any  other  fruit 
in  regard  to  perfume  and  aromatic  fragrance.  The  juice  fairly 
pours  out  of  the  fruit  even  when  it  is  not  quite  ripe,  but  in  that 
case  it  is  rather  acrid  in  taste.  In  this  condition  it  is  not  so 
easily  digested  as  when  quite  ripe ;  the  core  is  very  tough  and 
only  the  portion  between  it  and  the  skin  should  be  eaten. 
Balland  states  that  fresh  pineapples  contain  12  per  cent,  of 
sugar  and  about  87  per  cent,  of  water;  the  canned  fruit  con- 
tains 18.40  per  cent,  of  sugar,  with  4  per  cent,  of  other  carbo- 
hydrates, and  only  0.57  per  cent,  of  raw  fiber.  Pineapples  are 
a  very  refreshing  fruit :  scarcely  exceeded  by  any  other  in  that 
respect.  Unfortunately  they  are  expensive  in  this  country 
(Austria),  although  in  Berlin  at  the  large  fruit  dealers'  one  can 
get  some  at  80  pfennigs  (20  cents)  a  pound,  and  i  mark  (25 
cents)  for  a  better  grade  of  fruit.  I  found  them  cheapest  in 
Florida,  where  I  could  buy  a  whole  one  for  10  cents;  while 
there  I   ate  a  medium-sized  pineapple  every  day.     In  this 


Good  and  Eidl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    305 

country  (Austria)  pineapples  are  grown  in  greenhouses,  but 
they  do  not  have  the  sweet  taste  nor  the  aroma  of  the  native 
fruit.  I  consider  the  pineapple  the  most  effective  fruit  in  con- 
stipation. 

Still  more  rare  with  us  is  the  kaki,  a  fruit  indigenous  in 
Japan,  and  which  is  cultivated  in  southern  Tyrol,  Italy,  and 
the  south  of  France.  When  thoroughly  ripe  it  is  full  of  juice, 
which  fairly  pours  out  of  it.  It  is  a  very  easily  digested  fruit, 
because  the  pulp  is  very  soft,  almost  of  the  consistency  of  a 
puree.  I  was  able  to  eat  5  or  6  large  ones  without  any  incon- 
venience. It  contains  a  certain  quantity  of  tannic  acid,  but  the 
taste  is  in  no  way  affected  by  it ;  it  also  acts  well  upon  the 
bowels,  notwithstanding  the  acid  content.  According  to 
Konig,^  it  contains  66  per  cent,  water,  0.83  per  cent,  protein, 
0.70  per  cent,  fat,  14.57  P^^  cent,  sugar,  and  11. 14  per  cent,  of 
other  carbohydrates,  together  with  1.70  per  cent,  of  cellulose 
and  80  per  cent,  of  ash.  It  is  consequently  very  rich  in  carbo- 
hydrates. 

The  lichee,  a  fruit  which  comes  from  China,  is  very  rarely 

seen  in  this  country  (Austria).     It  has  a  very  thin,  brownish 

skin,  which  is  easily  broken;  the  pulp  of  the  fruit  is  brownish 

red  and  has  a  very  pleasant  taste,  somewhat  like  that  of  dried 

figs,  very  sweet,  and  with  a  slightly  peppery  after-taste.     To 

be  well  digested  it  must  be  thoroughly  masticated,  but  even 

then  fibrous  portions  will  remain  in  the  mouth,  which  should 

not  be  swallowed.    Another  variety  of  exotic  fruit,  much  more 

digestible,  is  the  mango,  which  is  a  yellow  or  brownish,  round 

or  somewhat  egg-shaped  fruit,  with  an  abundance  of  juice  and 

a  very  pleasant  taste.    It  comes  from  Brazil,  Java,  and  Africa. 

A  very  pleasant  and  healthful  fruit  is  the  guava,  which  grows 

in  South  America  and  Java.    When  stewed  or  preserved  it  is 

very  readily  digested,  and  it  also  assists  the  action  of  the 

bowels,  possibly  on  account  of  the  cane-sugar  contained  in  it. 

1  Konig :  "Chemie  der  menschlichen  Nahrungs-  und  Genussmittel," 
Berlin,  i,  p.  832. 


306  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


13.  Practical  Hints  Concerning  Friiit  and  the  Advantages  of 
a  Fruit  Diet. 

It  is  of  prime  importance  that  fruit  be  allowed  to  get  as 
ripe  as  possible,  so  fliat  much  sugar  will  be  formed  in  it.  In 
no  case  should  unripe  fruit  be  eaten,  because  it  contains  more 
acids  and  cellulose  than  the  ripe  fruit  and  has  a  prejudicial 
effect  upon  the  digestive  processes.  When  fruit  is  plucked 
before  it  is  ripe,  it  may  subsequently  ripen  when  kept  in 
storage,  but  its  taste  will  always  remain  inferior  and  it  will  be 
more  difficult  to  digest.  In  gathering  fruit  it  must  be  handled 
carefully,  for  when  the  skin  is  damaged  a  path  is  opened  for 
the  penetration  of  many  minute  living  organisms  and  the  con- 
sequent occurrence  of  decomposition.  Fruit  of  this  kind  should 
not  be  eaten,  and  in  any  case  fruit  should  always,  if  at  all 
possible,  be  washed  or  cleaned,  so  that  the  bacteria  which  are 
often  present  in  large  numbers  on  fruit  that  has  been  standing 
in  the  streets,  or  in  the  dust  and  dirt  elsewhere,  may  not  be 
swallowed  along  with  the  fruit  when  it  is  eaten.  Sartori  found 
harmful  bacteria  upon  fruit  which  had  previously  been  twice 
washed.  Owing  to  the  quantity  of  acid  contained  in  some 
fruits  it  would  be  well  to  wash  out  the  mouth  after  having 
eaten  much  of  them ;  some  alkaline  mouthwash  is  best  used  for 
this  purpose,  having  also  a  protective  action  for  the  teeth. 
When  one  is  taking  acid  fruits,  foods  containing  much  starch, 
such  as  cakes,  floury  foods,  bananas,  etc.,  should  not  be  eaten 
at  the  same  time,  since  acids  prevent  the  sweetening  action  of 
the  saliva  upon  the  starches,  and  have  an  unfavorable  influence 
upon  their  digestion.  Bananas  belong  rather  with  the  dried 
fruits,  such  as  figs,  raisins,  etc.,  than  with  the  berries.  The 
seeds  of  fruits  should  never  be  swallowed.  While  the  tiny 
seeds  of  strawberries  or  figs  can  hardly  be  considered  injurious, 
it  is  quite  different  with  cherry  pits  or  plum  stones.  Even  they 
might  perhaps  not  bring  on  appendicitis,  but  occasionally  large 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    307 

numbers  of  cherry  stones  have  caused  death.  I  know  of  the 
case  of  a  Httle  girl  whose  young  hfe  was  cut  short  in  this  way. 
The  entire  intestine  was  found  choked  up  with  masses  of 
cherry  stones. 

A  plum  stone  may  also  sometimes  cause  great  injury.  It 
gives  rise  to  accumulations  of  calcareous  matter  around  the 
stone,  forming  concretions  of  great  hardness  which  are 
found  at  operation  and  when  cut  open  disclose  the  fruit  stone 
in  the  middle.  During  life  these  stones  give  rise  to  intestinal 
colic  occurring  at  intervals  and  causing  very  severe  pain. 
Such  obstructions  may  remain  for  a  long  time,  even  many 
years,  in  certain  localities  in  the  intestines — in  a  sinus  or 
pouch — without  being  expelled.  The  use  of  fruit  in  the  raw 
state  is  suitable  only  for  healthy  stomachs  and  intestines ;  other- 
wise fruit  should  first  be  cooked.  With  a  healthy  stomach  it 
is  better  to  eat  fruit  with  the  skin,  as  in  this  way  more  salts 
and  ethereal  principles  are  absorbed. 

It  is  very  healthful  to  eat  fruit,  and  in  the  winter,  when 
it  is  difficult  to  obtain  any  other  fresh  fruits,  apples  and  oranges 
will  always  do  good  service.  Many  fruits,  such  as  pineapples, 
bananas,  and  peaches,  and  other  fruits  that  grow  in  climates 
like  ours,  come  from  countries  such  as  Australia,  the  Cape 
Colony,  or  South  America,  where  there  is  summer  weather 
while  we  are  enduring  the  rigors  of  winter.  When  using  fruits 
we  may  always  expect  a  better  action  of  the  bowels,  for  most 
fruits  produce  this  effect,  either  through  the  cellulose  contained 
in  them  or  sometimes  because  of  the  small  seeds  which  excite 
the  intestines  to  action,  or  possibly  owing  to  the  sugar  or  acids 
contained  in  the  fruit.  The  acid  content  also  alkalinizes  the 
blood,  since  the  acid  compounds  of  the  salts  are  converted  into 
carbonates  of  the  alkali  metals  during  the  process  of  com- 
bustion. 

Gout  is  thereby  favorably  influenced,  as  it  is  also  by  the 
increased  activity  of  the  urinary  system.     The  formation  of 


308  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

uric  acid  concretions  in  the  kidneys  and  bladder  is  prevented. 
Owing  to  this  alkalinizing  property  of  fruit  its  use  is  indicated 
in  cases  where  a  diet  rich  in  meat  and  leguminous  vegetables 
is  indulged  in  and  acid  urine  is  formed,  as,  in  fact,  whenever 
acids  are  formed  in  the  body,  particularly  in  severe  cases  of 
diabetes.  In  such  instances  the  fruit-sugar  may  also  have  a 
beneficial  action,  as  it  tends  to  antagonize  the  formation  of  ace- 
tone. In  light  cases  of  diabetes  it  should  be  remembered  that 
almost  the  half  of  the  sugar  content  of  fruit  consists  of  fruit- 
sugar,  which  is  often  much  better  assimilated  than  other  kinds 
of  sugar.  In  my  last  work  on  diabetes  I  particularly  advised 
the  use  of  fruit  by  diabetics.  Owing  to  the  properties  men- 
tioned the  eating  of  fruit  is  also  often  of  great  use  in  arterio- 
sclerosis, as  the  fruit  juices  counteract  the  abnormal  viscidity 
of  the  blood.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  fact  that  some 
skin  diseases  are  much  improved  by  the  use  of  certain  kinds  of 
fruit. 

We  consider  it  advisable  for  every  one  to  eat  some  fruit 
daily.  In  the  spring,  when  the  cherries  ripen,  they  should  be 
eaten  every  day  as  long  as  the  season  lasts ;  then  there  are  the 
various  kinds  of  berries;  later,  apricots,  plums,  pears,  and 
peaches,  and  in  the  autumn  grapes,  which  can,  with  a  little 
care,  be  kept  nearly  until  Christmas  time  by  hanging  the 
bunches  up  carefully  in  a  storage  room.  Hothouse  grapes  may 
then  come  into  use ;  they  are  available  until  February  or  even 
later,  and  in  June  there  will  again  be  a  fresh  crop.  Apples  are 
to  be  had  pretty  much  the  whole  year  round,  and  oranges  as 
well,  except  in  the  autumn. 

While  referring  to  the  numerous  and  great  advantages  of 
fruit  as  an  article  of  diet,  I  must  not  forget  to  mention  its  pos- 
sible disadvantages.  Certain  stomachs,  particularly  those  in- 
clined to  overacidity,  cannot  tolerate  fruit ;  but  in  the  cooked 
form  almost  anyone  can  take  it  without  any  ill  effects.  Some 
fruits,  e.g. J,  the  strawberry,  may  in  certain  persons  give  rise  to 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    309 

skin  eruptions.  In  cases  where  the  urine  is  alkahne  the  use  of 
fruit  is  contraindicated,  particularly  such  varieties  as  contain 
much  acid ;  and  certain  fruits,  such  as  figs,  plums,  gooseberries, 
etc.,  which  contain  quite  an  amount  of  oxalic  acid  (figs  con- 
tain, in  lOO  grams,  o.i  gram  of  oxalic  acid),  should  not  be 
indulged  in  by  persons  having  oxaluria.  \\'here  there  is  much 
flatulence,  fresh  fruits  should  not  be  eaten ;  stewed  fruits,  such 
as  plums,  etc.,  would  be  much  better. 

In  view  of  the  very  great  influence  of  fruit  upon  the  health 
of  the  population  in  general,  it  would  be  desirable  that  the 
duties  collected  on  fruits  be  abolished.  The  importation  of 
fruit,  which  is  not  increasing  in  this  country  (Austria),  is  so 
slight  that  the  budget  is  not  niaterially  increased  by  the  duties 
collected,  and  the  improvement  in  the  health  of  the  people 
would  save  the  country  many  large  expenditures  which  far 
exceed  the  revenue  from  the  duties  imposed  on  fruits. 

(m)  Beverages. 
I.  Coffee. 

When  one  leads  a  regular  and  frugal  life,  and  has  besides 
the  quality  of  being  able  to  govern  his  temper,  he  will  not  find 
it  necessary  to  resort  to  artificial  stimulants  in  order  to  keep 
himself  up  to  the  mark,  or  as  a  consolation  factor  whenever 
disappointed  or  depressed.  When  one  has,  however,  eaten  a 
full  meal  of  meat,  etc.,  and  feels  tired  and  sleepy  afterward,  it 
is  only  natural  that  he  should  long  for  some  drink  such  as 
cofifee.  This  stirs  him  up  and  enlivens  him,  and  he  feels  much 
better.  For  this  enlivening  action  of  the  coffee  we  must  thank 
an  Arabian  shepherd  who  discovered  the  coffee  bush,  having 
noticed  that  his  flocks  were  always  very  active  and  lively  after 
having  eaten  the  beans  which  he  saw  on  these  bushes.  He 
made  and  drank  a  decoction  from  the  beans,  and  himself  ex- 
perienced a  sense  of  exhilaration.    As  his  neighbors  reproved 


310  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

him,  saying  that  he  had  sinned  against  the  laws  of  the  prophets, 
and  took  him  before  the  Kadi,  the  story  came  out,  and  now  the 
Mohammedans  consider  this  beverage  as  a  gift  of  God,  as  a 
reward  for  their  abstinence  from  alcohol. 

In  order  that  the  coffee  shall  possess  this  stimulating 
property,  together  with  an  excellent  taste  and  fine  aroma,  which 
also  enhances  the  taste,  it  must  first  be  of  a  good  quality  and 
the  next  great  requirement  is  that  it  be  freshly  ground  and 
made  just  before  using.  It  is  also  important  that  only  soft — 
and  when  possible  distilled — water  be  used  for  making  coffee. 
It  is  often  well-nigh  impossible  for  those  who  must  take 
their  meals  in  restaurants  to  ever  be  able  to  drink  a  really  good 
aromatic  cup  of  coffee,  since  it  is  the  custom  in  most  coffee- 
houses— fortunately  not  often  here  in  Austria-Hungary — to 
make  a  supply  for  the  whole  day  and  to  then  deal  out  this  black 
soup  as  it  is  required.  Although  it  is  asserted  that  coffee  Is 
more  healthful  when  chicory  is  added,  it  certainly  does  not  at 
all  improve  the  taste.  Unfortunately,  just  in  that  country 
which  obtains  the  very  best  coffee  from  its  colonies — Holland — 
a  very  great  quantity  of  chicory  is  used.  We  must,  therefore, 
pardon  the  Saxons  for  their  extensive  use  of  such  coffee.  I 
have,  nevertheless,  sometimes  drunk  better  coffee  in  the  very 
heart  of  Saxony  than  in  some  parts  of  northern  Germany. 
This  does  not,  of  course,  refer  to  the  Hanseatic  cities,  which 
are  renowned  for  their  excellent  coffee.  Concerning  the  Dutch 
coffee,  the  wife  of  a  greatly  esteemed  clinician  told  me  that, 
unfortunately,  the  very  finest  coffee  from  the  Dutch  colonies — 
that  coming  from  Preangor — is  chiefly  sent  to  Austria,  and 
that  in  Holland  itself  it  is  difficult  to  get  any. of  it.  This  is 
unfortunately  frequently  the  case  with  the  native  products 
of  a  country. 

The  very  excellent  quality  of  coffee  drank  in  Austria  is 
well  known  in  other  countries,  and  our  Carlsbad  coffee  is 
everywhere  praised.    The  very  fine  cream  and  milk  which  we 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    311 

drink  here  may  help  to  make  it  so,  for  coffee  is  always  im- 
proved when  cream  is  added  to  it.  In  Scandinavia,  especially 
in  Denmark  and  Sweden,  the  coffee  is  excellent, — no  doubt 
partially  because  of  the  very  fine  cream.  A  most  important 
point  is  the  fresh  roasting  and  grinding  of  coffee,  and  this  is 
carefully  carried  out  in  Carlsbad  and  in  Austria-Hungary  in 
general,  but  not  always  in  Germany.  In  one  of  the  very  best 
hotels  in  Carlsbad  coffee  is  prepared  as  follows:  the  roasted 
coffee  is  first  very  finely  ground,  and  is  then  firmly  pressed  into 
a  coffee  machine,  then  only  one  large  spoonful  of  water  which 
has  just  reached  the  boiling  point  is  poured  over  it,  and  the 
machine  is  covered  so  that  the  aroma  cannot  escape.  As  soon 
as  this  water  has  soaked  through  the  coffee,  more  of  the  freshly 
boiling  water  is  poured  over  it.  The  water  used  for  this  pur- 
pose must  be  freshly  boiled  and  not  such  as  has  been  standing 
for  hours  on  the  fire.  Drinking-water,  and  not  general  utility 
water,  should  be  used  for  this  purpose.  The  cream,  when  used 
hot,  must  also  be  freshly  brought  tO'  the  boiling  point,  and  not 
first  boiled  and  then  left  to  cool,  and  afterward  warmed  up 
again  as  required ;  in  that  case  the  coffee  will  have  a  grayish 
color,  and  "fat-eyes"  will  gather  upon  its  surface.  For  making 
good  coffee,  2  decigrams  of  coffee  beans  and  Ve  liter  of  water 
are  required.  A  good  mixture  is  preferable  to  only  one  kind 
of  coffee.  When  the  nerves  are  easily  excited  i  decigram  of 
coffee  will  be  sufficient. 

The  composition  of  coffee — when  roasted — is  as  follows, 
according  to  Konig : — 

Fat  (ether  Tannic     Other  car- 

Protelu.      CaflEeine.     extract).       Sugar.       Dextrin.        acid,      bohydrates.    Cellulose. 
Percent.      Percent.     Percent.    Percent.    Percent.     Percent.    Percent.       Percent. 

12.64  1.16         13.85  1.31  1.31         4.65         39.88  18.07 

The  ash  contains  the  following  amount  of  nutrient  salts : — 


Potash. 
Per  cent. 

Lime. 
Per  cent. 

Magnesia. 
Per  cent. 

Iron. 
Per  cent. 

Phosphoric 

acid. 
Per  cent. 

Sulphuric 

acid. 
Per  cent. 

Silicic 

acid. 

Per  cent. 

61.47 

6.19 

9.69 

0.65 

13.39 

3.80 

0.54 

312  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

The  exhilarating  action  of  coffee  is  due  to  its  caffeine  con- 
tent. It  excites  the  central  nervous  system,  and  large  quanti- 
ties will  cause  sleeplessness ;  it  is  consequently  not  advisable  to 
take  coffee  at  the  evening  meal,  although  many  persons  are 
able  through  habit  to  drink  it  just  before  going  to  bed  without 
being  kept  awake.  Owing  to  the  caffeine  coffee  prevents 
fatigue,  as  has  been  experimentally  shown  by  Schumburg  with 
both  coffee  and  tea;  in  muscular  exertion  it  has  a  refreshing 
action.  I  have  personally  observed  that  when  taking  long 
tramps  of  20  to  30  kilometers  I  did  not  get  at  all  tired  and 
made  the  rest  of  the  way  quite  easy  by  taking  coffee  with  my 
midday  meal — after  having  walked  12  kilometers.  When  the 
muscles  have  already  become  exhausted  caffeine  does  not  have 
much  effect,  according  to  Schumburg.  It  has,  likewise,  a 
stimulating  action  upon  the  vasomotor  system  and  the  heart 
activity;  the  pulse  is  also  increased. 

Owing  to  the  increased  blood-pressure  caused  by  the 
caffeine,  the  use  of  coffee  should  be  forbidden  in  arterio- 
sclerosis ;  caffeine-free  coffee  is  very  much  better,  and  it  is  also 
well  tolerated  by  the  stomach.  Coffee,  owing  to  its  property 
of  stimulating  the  intellectual  activity  and  of  removing  fatigue, 
is  often  greatly  misused  by  brainworkers.  While  it  does  for  a 
time  brace  one  up  for  working,  the  work  is  paid  for  with  in- 
terest by  the  increased  wear  and  tear,  so  to  speak,  of  important 
organs  of  the  body.  As  far  as  the  stomach  is  concerned,  coffee 
often  causes  less  injury  than  tea, — which  contains  more 
tannin, — especially  when  there  is  overacidity  of  the  stomach; 
it  must,  however,  not  be  too  strong.  Generally  speaking,  coffee 
is  not  indicated  in  affections  of  the  stomach.  Coffee  acts  as  an 
antidote  for  certain  poisons  such  as  opium  and  alcohol.  Binz 
found  that  dogs  which  had  been  stupefied  by  alcohol  could  be 
waked  up  by  coffee.  It  also  has  a  favorable  action  upon 
metabolism,  in  the  sense  that  by  its  use  the  end-product  of 
nitrogen,  e.g.,  urea,  is  eliminated  in  larger  quantities,  as  is  also 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    313 

common  salt.  Coffee  has  a  diuretic  effect.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  has  an  unfavorable  action  in  the  uric  acid  diathesis,  as 
caffeine  promotes  the  formation  of  uric  acid  to  a  considerable 
extent. 

Umber  and  Schittenhelm  strictly  prohibit  the  use  of  coffee 
in  gout.  I  consider  it  a  mistake,  however,  to  suddenly  abso- 
lutely forbid  coffee  or  any  similar  substance  which  people  may 
have  been  accustomed  to  taking  all  their  lives.  It  is  more  prac- 
tical and  even  more  healthful  not  to  forbid  them  entirely,  but 
to  allow  very  small  quantities.  When  a  person  has  good 
kidneys  the  quantity  of  uric  acid  furnished  by  the  caffeine  can 
be  readily  eliminated ;  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  lessen  the 
quantity  of  uric  acid  by  making  the  coffee  quite  weak. 

The  drinking  of  pure  black  coffee  I  consider  injurious  not 
only  for  invalids,  but  for  healthy  persons  as  well,  especially 
when  they  are  at  all  "nervous" ;  but  a  little  coffee  of  good 
quality  with  a  good  deal  of  cream  is,  I  believe,  not  injurious 
for  the  majority  of  people.  For  persons  w^ho  cannot  take 
ordinary  coffee  that  free  from  caffeine  would  prove  useful.  It 
tastes  very  good  with  cream. 

2.  Tea. 

When  one  drinks  tea  in  England  it  probably  tastes  better 
than  on  the  Continent,  but  I  consider  it  less  healthful,  if  indeed 
the  term  healthful  may  be  used  in  referring  to  tea.  Personally, 
I  am  of  a  different  opinion.  The  English  tea  tastes  very 
strong;  in  fact,  the  English  have  a  preference  for  strong  spices, 
flavors,  and  drinks,  which  however  do  them  no  great  harm, 
as  they  are  especially  long-lived.  In  England  the  Indian  or 
Ceylon  teas  are  mostly  used,  which  are  not  only  stronger,  but 
also  contain  more  tannic  acid,  than  the  Chinese  tea.  Whoever 
likes  a  mild,  very  pleasant  tasting  tea  would  do  well  to  drink 
"tschaj"  in  Russia,  where  it  is  always  brewed  in  the  samovar 


314 


Health  Through  Ratiotial  Diet. 


at  every  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper.  This  tea  tastes  better 
and  has  a  finer  aroma  than  the  strong  tea  one  gets  in  England. 
The  amount  of  tannic  acid  contained  in  tea  plays  an  im- 
portant part,  for  it  is  this  substance  which  in  many  persons 
causes  acid  eructations  after  drinking  tea ;  this  is  especially  the 
case  when  it  is  taken  on  an  empty  stomach:  It  is  best  to  take 
tea  with  bread  and  ham,  as  advised  by  Hutchison.  As  they 
are  a  tea-drinking  nation,  English  investigators,  and  Roberts 
in  particular,  have  carefully  considered  the  qualities  and  dis- 
advantages of  tea.  He  found  that,  owing  to  the  tannic  acid 
which  it  contains,  tea  retarded  the  digestion  of  starches — the 
Chinese  tea  less  so  than  other  varieties.  According  to  Konig, 
the  tannic  acid  content  and  other  constituents  of  black  and 
green  teas  are  as  follows : — 


Nitrogen  total. 
Per  cent. 

Theine. 
Per  cent. 

Tannic  substances. 
Per  cent. 

4.78 
4.58 

1.7 
2.3 

16.8 

Black  tea      

15  2 

We  shall  also  give  the  substances  contained  in  the  ash. 
Tea  contains  the  following  nutrient  salts : — 

Iron      Manganese  Phosphoric 
Potash.         Soda.  Lime.        Magnesia,      oxide.  oxide.  acid.  Chlorine. 

Percent.    Percent.      Percent.      Percent.    Percent.     Percent.    Percent.     Percent. 

37.50         8.01  13.71  5.71         4.47  1.05  7.57  1.69 


As  shown  above,  tea  is  particularly  rich  in  iron.  It  is  also 
evident  that  a  quantity  of  tannic  substance  is  contained  in  tea- 
leaves — more  in  the  green  than  in  the  black.  It  is  just  this 
tannic  acid  content  which  is  so  injurious  for  the  stomach.  The 
longer  the  tea-leaves  are  drawn,  that  is  to  say,  the  longer  it 
takes  to  make  the  tea,  the  more  tannic  acid  there  will  be  in  it. 
In  order  to  minimize  the  effect  of  the  tannic  acid  Roberts 
recommends  that  a  small  quantity  of  bicarbonate  of  soda  be 
placed  in  the  teacup.    This  also  remedies  the  injurious  effect  of 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    315 

the  tea  upon  the  digestion  of  the  starches.    The  taste  of  the  tea 
is  not  in  any  way  affected.    He  also  states  that  it  is  best  to  take 
tea  after  a  meal.    With  an  empty  stomach  both  tea  and  coffee 
are  injurious.    When  the  stomach  is  sensitive,  Roberts  advises 
the  use  of  very  little  tea,  which  should  at  the  same  time  be  quite 
weak.    According  to  a  table  by  Hutchison,  tea  is  more  easily 
digested  than  coffee.     Thus,  220  cubic  centimeters  of  tea  re- 
mained only  one  and  one-half  hours  in  the  stomach ;  the  same 
quantity  of  coffee  one  and  three-quarter  hours.    Cocoa  is  even 
more  digestible,  for  it  remained  in  the  stomach  only  one  and 
one-quarter  hours.     Tea  contains  a  substance  identical  with 
caffeine,  which  is  here  called  theine.    This  also  has  an  excitant 
effect  upon  the  nervous  system,  in  many  cases  even  more  so 
than  caffeine,  especially  in  regard  to  preventing  sleep.    Tea  is 
consequently  no  better  adapted  for  the  use  of  nervous  persons 
than  is  coffee ;  when  one  cannot  well  do  without  it,  it  would  be 
advisable  to  weaken  it  with  a  great  deal  of  milk,  and  in  this 
way  the  tannic  acid  would  be  less  disturbing  for  the  digestion. 
In  preparing  tea  the  directions  given  by  Hutchison,  which 
I  shall  now  quote,  should  be  followed :    The  water,  in  boiling, 
must  first  be  in  full  ebullition,  and  the  teapot  should  also  be 
heated,  as  otherwise  many  volatile  substances  would  not  be 
drawn  out  from  the  leaves.     The  infusion  should  only  last 
from  four  to  five  minutes,  for  when  it  is  drawn  for  a  longer 
time  too  much  tannic  acid  and  other  bitter  substances  will  go 
into  the  tea.     The  water  is  here  of  the  same  importance  as 
when  making  coffee.     Hutchison  says  that  the  Chinese  prefer 
using  the  water  of  running  streams,  then  mountain  spring 
water  or  that  of  rivers;  spring  water  is  least  adapted  for  the 
purpose.     Since  the  water  should  take  up  air,  the  pitcher  or 
kettle  should  be  held  high  up  when  the  water  is  poured  over  the 
tea.    The  water  should  not  be  too  rapidly  boiled.    Hard  water 
is  bad,  and  some  bicarbonate  of  soda  should  be  placed  in  the 
pot;  otherwise,  certain  important  constituents  which  affect  the 


316  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

taste  would  be  lacking.  In  regard  to  the  quantity  of  tea  to  be 
used,  I  give  the  English  rule  quoted  by  Hutchison:  "One 
teaspoonful  for  each  person  and  one  for  the  pot." 

3.  Mate  and  its  Advantages. 

For  persons  who  are  too  much  excited  by  tea,  mate  is  an 
excellent  drink;  it  is  less  exciting  to  the  nervous  system,  as 
I  have  been  most  strikingly  able  to  convince  myself  in  the  case 
of  an  hysterical  young  lady  who  was  my  patient  last  summer. 
This  tea  is  made  from  the  leaves  of  a  kind  of  prickly  holly 
{Ilex  paraguayensis)  which  grows  in  Paraguay  and  even  more 
plentifully  in  thickets  (Hervaes)  in  southern  Brazil.  These 
leaves  are  chopped  into  small  pieces  or  are  finely  ground.  Ac- 
cording to  the  recent  experiments  of  French  investigators,  mate 
accelerates  the  circulation  of  the  blood  and  diminishes  fatigue 
consequent  upon  muscular  exertion,  and  also  prevents  the  sen- 
sation of  hunger  without,  however,  in  any  way  affecting  the 
appetite.  In  Brazil  and  in  many  other  countries  of  South 
America  mate  is  much  used  for  breakfast,  especially  by  persons 
subject  to  stomach  disturbances  or  having  diabetes.  Whether 
this  tea  has  any  curative  properties  in  such  affections  must 
still  be  determined.  That  it  is  fitted  to  take  the  place  of 
ordinary  tea  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  also  contains  theine; 
according  to  an  analysis  by  Fournier,  it  contains  from  5  tO'  6 
grams  of  alkaloids  to  the  kilo  (caffeine,  mateine,  theine). 
Konig^  gives  the  contents  of  mate  as  follows : — 

Nutrient  Salts  in  Mate. 
Protein.  Theine.  Tannin.         Medium  amount  of  tannic  acid. 

11.20  per  cent.      0.89  per  cent.      6.89  per  cent.      4.50  to  9.59  per  cent. 

We  thus  see  that  mate  contains  only  half  as  much  theine 
as  does  tea,  and  can  consequently  understand  that  it  must  be 


1  Konig :    "Chemie  der  menschlichen  Nahrungs-  und  Genussmittel," 
n,  p.  1109. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    317 

less  exciting  to  the  nervous  system.  Certain  important  nutrient 
salts  are  also  contained  in  mate,  as,  for  instance,  iron  in  quite 
considerable  amounts,  although  less  than  in  tea ;  it  also  contains 
much  more  manganese  oxide. 

We  give  here  the  amounts  according  to  Konig: — 

Iron     Manganese  Phospho     Sulphuric  Silicic 

Lime.        Magnesia.       oxide.  oxide.        ric  acid.         acid.        Chlorine.         acid. 

Percent.      Percent.      Percent.    Percent.     Percent.    Percent.     Percent.      Percent. 

11.46  7.18  3.24  5.57  1.65  1.80  3.04  27.27 

In  loo  grams  of  mate  are  dissolved  by  water : — 

Iron       Manganese  Phosphoric   Sulphuric 
Potash.  Lime.       Magnesia,      oxide.  oxide.  acid.  acid.        Chlorine. 

Percent.      Percent.      Percent.    Percent.     Percent.      Percent.      Percent.      Percent. 

0.44  0.14  0.46  0.02  0.11  0.07  0.13  0.22 

Larger  quantities  of  mate  can  be  taken  without  producing 
the  nervous  symptoms  caused  by  tea.  When  one  considers  that 
sometimes  the  Gauchos  in  the  Pampas,  when  they  are  far  away 
from  the  corrals  and  have  been  in  the  saddle  for  twenty-four 
hours,  have  only  mate  to  satisfy  their  hunger  and  to  drive 
away  the  desire  for  sleep  which  threatens  to  overpower  them, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  the  action  of  the  mate  must  be  quite 
a  powerful  one. 

In  preparing  mate  3  teaspoonfuls  of  it  are  put  in  cold 
water,  which  is  then  allowed  to  come  to  the  boiling  point.  As 
soon  as  this  has  been  reached  it  is  removed  from  the  fire,  and 
after  two  or  three  minutes  it  is  strained.  The  product  obtained 
is  a  greenish-yellow  Hquid,  which  has  a  fine  aroma.  Milk  may 
be  added,  and  in  my  opinion  it  tastes  much  better  than  without 
it.  Sugar  is  always  added.  Through  the  kindness  of  a  patient 
of  mine,  Mr.  Antonio  dos  Santos,  from  Rio  Janeiro,  I  received 
a  box  of  mate,  which  I  took  every  morning  for  breakfast 
during  quite  a  long  time.  It  has  a  very  agreeable  taste,  and 
when  not  made  too  strong  is  quite  easily  digested.  After  large 
quantities  of  a  strong  brew  I  always  had  acid  eructations,  but 
this  is  said  not  to  be  the  case  with  most  persons.  My  appetite 
for  breakfast  seemed  to  be  improved,  and  fatigue  seemed  to  be 


318  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

diminished.  I  found  that  I  was  much  less  excited  after  having 
taken  large  quantities  than  was  the  case  with  tea.  I  consider 
that  mate  may  very  well  take  the  place  of  ordinary  tea,  when 
the  latter  is  not  well  tolerated.  Whether  it  really  can  replace 
tea  is  a  question  of  taste,  and  in  this  respect  the  old  Spanish 
saying  is  true:  "De  gustos  no  hay  disputa"  (the  matter  of 
taste  does  not  admit  of  dispute).  If  anyone  asks  me,  however, 
which  is  most  healthful,  tea  or  mate,  I  would  not  hesitate  to 
recommend  mate. 

4.  Cocoa,  Chocolate,  and  their  'Advantages. 

As  the  discoverer,  Pizzaro,  sailed  along  the  Pacific  Coast 
with  his  soldiers,  they  saw  everywhere,  throughout  the  king- 
dom of  the  Incas,  blooming  cocoa  and  carefully  planted  corn 
plantations.  The  celebrated  American  historian,  Prescott, 
relates  this  in  his  work,  "The  Conquest  of  Peru."  He  also 
states,  in  his  book  on  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortes,  that 
Montezuma,  that  most  unfortunate  Emperor  of  Mexico,  had 
at  his  disposal  50  pots  of  cocoa  daily  for  his  own  use,  and  2000 
pots  for  his  household.  The  old  Mexicans  even  accepted  bags 
of  cocoa  for  payments  due  them.  We  need  not  be  surprised 
at  the  value  placed  upon  cocoa,  when  we  consider  that  it  has  a 
very  enlivening  and  refreshing  action.  It  was  for  this  reason 
that  the  celebrated  Swedish  scholar,  Linne  (Carl  Linnaeus), 
the  contemporary  and  friend  of  Boerhaave,  who  was  enthu- 
siastically fond  of  cocoa,  called  it  a  gift  of  the  gods, — 
*'theobroma."  Secondly,  notwithstanding  its  enlivening  and 
stimulating  action,  cocoa  is  less  injurious  to  the  nervous 
system,  and  is  more  easily  digested  than  coffee  and  tea.  It  is  a 
more  dietetic  drink  and  is  free  from  the  undesirable  reflex  ef- 
fects exerted  by  coffee  and  tea.  This  is  a  property  all  the  more 
appreciated  by  Linne,  since  our  worthy  colleague  suffered  from 
gout,  and  had  two  apoplectic  attacks  before  his  death.     He 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.     319 

had  a  large  medical  practice  in  Stockholm,  which,  together 
with  his  scientific  pursuits,  kept  him  very  busy.  Linne  drank 
a  considerable  daily  dose  of  cocoa,  and  that  it  agreed  with  him 
is  surprising  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  had  gout,  for  cocoa  also 
contains  a  similar  substance  to  that  present  in  coffee  and  tea — 
theobromine — which  furthers  the  formation  of  uric  acid.  It 
must  also  not  be  forgotten  that  cocoa  contains  more  oxalic  acid 
than  any  other  food  substance.  It  is  less  exciting  than  tea  and 
coffee,  and  is  also  more  easily  digested  than  either.  We  may 
also  mention  that  cocoa  is  made — like  coffee  and  tea — by  steep- 
ing in  hot  water.  It  is  only  in  this  way  that  the  soluble 
substances  contained  in  the  leaves  and  beans,  which  have  pre- 
viously been  cleaned,  roasted,  and  finally  ground,  can  be  ob- 
tained, together  with  a  greater  or  less  amount  of  their  fat 
content.  The  amount  of  nitrogen  contained  in  cocoa  is  very 
large.-  There  are  also  considerable  amounts  of  nutritive  sub- 
stances, as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  table  by  Konig.  In 
the  cocoa  free  from  oil  are  contained : — 

Protein.  Theobromine.  Fat.  Starches.        Other  carbohy-     Cellulose. 

Per  cent.  Per  cent.  Per  cent.  Per  cent.       drates.   Per  cent.    Per  cent. 

20.43  1.88  28.34  15.60  17.70  5.37 

The  nutrient  salt  content  is  likewise  important,  for  certain 
of  the  salts,  especially  phosphorus,  are  present  in  even  larger 
amounts  than  in  cereals.  In  the  fresh  substance  cocoa  contains, 
according  to  Balland,  between  0.38  per  cent,  and  0.57  per  cent, 
of  phosphorus  and  0.89  per  cent,  to  1.30  per  cent,  of  phosphoric 
acid,  while  coffee  only  contains  0.13  per  cent,  to  0.17  per  cent, 
of  phosphorus.  The  composition  of  the  ash,  according  to 
Konig's  table,  is  as  follows: — 

Nutrient  Salts  in  Cocoa. 

Phosphoric  Stilphnrio 
Potash.         Soda.  Lime.       Magrnesia.  Iron  oxide.       acid.  acid.       Chlorine. 

Per  cent.     Per  cent.    Per  cent.      Per  cent.     Per  cent.     Per  cent.     Per  cent.     Per  cct. 

31.43  1.33  5.07  16.26         0.14         30.46  3.74         0.75 


320  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

The  large  amount  of  phosphoric  acid  and  of  other  nutri- 
tive salts  present  may  be  noticed  in  this  table. 

The  very  useful  cocoa-beans  come  mostly  from  South  and 
Central  America.  They  constitute  the  fruit  of  the  cocoa  tree, 
and  may  be  gathered  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year ;  the  tree 
is  constantly  bearing  fruit,  and  has  the  very  great  advantage 
over  the  coffee  and  tea  plants  of  being  very  easily  cultivated 
and  requiring  little  care,  though  exceedingly  fruitful.  The 
fruits  of  the  trees  in  Surinam  contain  the  greatest  number  of 
beans,  and  the  finest  cocoa  comes  from  Caracas  in  Venezuela, 
although  that  coming  from  Surinam  is  but  little  inferior  to  it. 
The  greatest  quantities  are,  however,  exported  from  Brazil, 
from  the  province  of  Bahia.  I  tasted  the  raw  cocoa-beans  and 
found  the  taste  quite  pleasant.  The  greater  portion  could  be 
readily  masticated  and  was  not  hard  to  digest;  of  course,  I 
only  swallowed  the  part  which  could  be  easily  chewed.  More- 
over, cocoa,  as  I  have  already  stated,  is  quite  well  digested,  for 
which  reason  it  is  given  the  preference  over  coffee  and  tea  in 
cases  of  stomach  and  intestinal  catarrh.  The  Dutch  cocoa  is 
very  easily  digested ;  in  this  the  cocoa  is  mixed  with  potassium 
carbonate  or  sodium  carbonate,  thus  making  the  nutritive  sub- 
stances more  soluble.  When  too  much  alkali  is  contained  in  it, 
stomach  disturbances  and  diarrhea  are  easily  caused.  When 
it  contains  much  fat  the  cocoa  is  not  so  easily  digested,  but  even 
then  the  stomach  is  less  injuriously  affected  than  it  is  by  strong 
tea  or  coffee.  All  in  all,  cocoa  is  the  most  healthful  drink 
among  these  beverages,  with  perhaps  the  exception  of  mate.  It 
has  the  advantage  not  possessed  by  the  three  beverages  dis- 
cussed above  that,  while  not  exciting,  it  is  enlivening  and  re- 
freshing and  also  nourishing.  When  a  person  takes  2  or  3 
cups  of  cocoa  he  is  never  as  much  excited  as  after  having  drank 
2  or  3  cups  of  tea  or  coffee.  He  has  at  the  same  time  absorbed 
considerable  nourishment,  for  100  grams  of  cocoa  contain 
about  420  calories.    For  this  reason  cocoa  is  not  indicated  for 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    321 

persons  who  are  overstout,  or  for  those  who  do  not  wish  to  get 
too  stout;  but  for  those  who  wish  to  have  a  beverage  which 
will  be  nourishing  and  not  injurious,  as,  for  instance,  in  dia- 
betes, unsweetened  cocoa  taken  with  a  very  little  fruit-sugar 
would  be  useful.  For  vegetarians  cocoa  is  an  ideal  beverage, 
as  it  is  also  nourishing,  which  is  a  feature  not  to  be  despised 
with  a  vegetable  diet.  Cocoa  mixed  with  malt,  as  in  malt 
cocoa,  or  in  the  form  of  chocolate  is  even  more  nourishing,^ 
as  much  sugar  is  contained  in  chocolate.  The  rule  is  that  there 
should  be  equal  parts  of  cocoa  and  sugar,  but  unfortunately 
there  is  frequently  more  sugar  and  but  little  cocoa.  Chocolate 
which  is  properly  made  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  cocoa  is 
not  only  nourishing,  but  tastes  very  good,  as  in  the  bonbons 
"Gianduia  di  Torino."  All  properly  made  varieties  of  choco- 
late may  be  very  useful  to  us,  as  with  a  very  small  amount  in 
bulk  a  quantity  of  valuable  nutritious  substances  are  absorbed. 
Owing  to  its  high  carbohydrate  content  chocolate  is  a  partic- 
ularly well  adapted  food  for  those  undergoing  muscular  exer- 
tions, as  in  mountain  climbing,  etc.  Just  as  when  a  horse  is 
given  a  piece  of  sugar  after  any  special  exertion,  so  when 
taking  very  long  tramps,  or  when  ascending  mountains,  we 
should  always  take  several  small  pieces  of  chocolate  whenever 
we  stop  for  ^  rest.  In  chocolate,  according  to  Konig,  are  con- 
tained 6.27  per  cent,  of  protein,  0.62  per  cent,  of  theobromine, 
21.20  per  cent,  of  fat,  1.36  per  cent,  of  tartaric  acid,  53.70  per 
cent,  of  sugar,  4.07  per  cent,  of  starch,  with  5.59  per  cent,  of 
other  carbohydrates  and  1.67  per  cent,  of  cellulose.  With  such 
a  high  nutritive  content,  chocolate,  taken  as  an  agreeable 
delicacy  after  a  meal,  would  likewise  complete  the  measure  of 
the  food  taken,  especially  in  the  case  of  strict  vegetarians ;  it  is 
consequently  a  beneficial  habit  to  have  a  piece  of  chocolate  in 
one's  pocket  to  be  eaten  just  after  a  meal.    Chocolate  and  small 


1  The  word  chocolate  is  from  the  Aztec :    Chocolatl ;  cocoa  is  from 
cacahuaquite. 


322  Health  Through  Rational  Diet, 

candies  should  never  be  taken  before  meals,  as  is  so  frequently 
done  by  children  and  many  ladies.  From  the  standpoint  of  a 
rational  mode  of  feeding  there  is  no  more  mistaken  and  de- 
plorable habit  than  this  childish  custom,  which  spoils  the  appe- 
tite for  the  principal  meals  and  at  the  same  time  undermines 
the  health.  After  meals  it  is  quite  an  advisable  thing  to  eat  a 
little  candy  or  chocolate  if  one  wishes  to  grow  fat,  or  to  com- 
plete a  rather  insufficient  meal.  Many  ladies  and  some  gentle- 
men prefer  to  take  the  latter  substance  in  solution  in  the  form 
of  a  cup  of  chocolate;  it  was  preferred  in  this  way  by  that 
great  epicure,  Brillat-Savarin.  His  directions  for  making  good 
chocolate^  were  as  follows:  About  i>^  ounces  of  chocolate 
(about  50  grams)  is  dissolved  in  water  over  the  fire;  when  it 
is  warmed  through,  it  should  be  thoroughly  stirred  and  then  be 
allowed!  to  boil  for  one-fourth  hour,  until  it  thickens  a  little. 
It  is  to  be  taken  warm.  The  best  way  to  make  chocolate  is, 
however,  that  recommended  to  Brillat-Savarin  by  Madame 
d'Arrestrel,  the  Superior  of  the  Convent  of  Belley,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago.  The  chocolate  should,  according  to  her, 
be  made  the  evening  before  and  be  left  standing  overnight  in 
a  porcelain  pot.  In  this  way  it  becomes  concentrated,  and  has 
'Uin  veloute  qui  le  rend  Men  meilleur"  (a  velvety  smoothness 
which  greatly  improves  it).  The  greatest  amount  of  chocolate 
is  probably  taken  in  Spain;  everywhere  from  Barcelona  to 
Cadiz  I  saw  it  being  drunk  in  the  cafes,  and  I  also  found  the 
"enciemada"  very  good. 

Cocoa  was  brought  into  Spain  by  Columbus,  and  the 
envoy  of  that  country,  at  that  time  so  rich  and  powerful,  took 
it  as  presents  to  the  other  courts  of  Europe ;  it  thus  came  into 
general  use.  In  France  it  is  very  much  used ;  it  is  the  pleasant 
custom  in  that  country  to  pass  around  chocolate  bonbons  after 
the  dinner,  which  I  find  is  at  the  same  time  not  at  all  detri- 
mental to  the  health.    At  the  end  of  a  meal,  on  a  full  stomach, 

1  Brillat-Savarin :  hoc.  cit.,  p.  20. 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    323 

is  the  best  time  to  take  them ;  they  do  not  then  interfere  with 
the  digestion.  Notwithstanding  all  the  praise  which  has  been 
accorded  to  chocolate  and  cocoa,  we  must  not  forget  to  men- 
tion that  they  are  injurious  in  the  presence  of  an  oxalic  acid 
diathesis,  as  they  contain  as  much  as  0.45  per  cent,  of  oxalic 
acid. 


5.  Alcoholic  Beverages. 

It  would  hardly  fall  within  the  scope  of  a  work  on  the 
rational  modes  of  feeding  and  nourishment  to  enter  fully  into 
a  discussion  of  alcoholic  drinks.  We  have  deemed  it  preferable 
to  give  more  attention  to  vegetables  and  fruits.  If  we  do  here 
refer  briefly  to  alcoholic  drinks,  it  is  merely  because  there  are 
many  people  who  do  not  consider  it  an  irrational  proceeding  to 
indulge  in  a  glass  of  beer  or  wine  after  the  day's  work,  or  to 
add  zest  to  their  meal,  or,  again,  simply  because  they  enjoy  it. 
Even  if  many  do  take  pleasure  in  a  good  glass  of  wine  or  beer, 
I  do  not  see  why  such  a  custom  should  be  condemned,  since 
we  are  not  really  born  into  this  vale  of  tears  to  be  martyrs. 
From  the  standpoint  of  hygiene,  it  cannot  be  affirmed  that  the 
taking  of  a  glass  of  beer  or  wine,  or  possibly  even  two  or  three 
glasses  of  beer  and  a  couple  of  small  glasses  of  some  light  wine 
each  day,  will  cause  any  great  damage.  The  labors  of  a 
number  of  investigators  (Atwater  and  Benedict,  Rosemann, 
and  others)  have  shown  that  alcohol  has  certain  nourishing 
properties.  It  is  also  stimulating,  and  there  are  many  persons 
who  in  the  intervals  of  their  arduous  labors  are  spurred  on  to 
a  continuation  of  their  work  by  a  glass  of  beer  or  wine. 
Alcohol  is  only  injurious,  for  the  majority  of  persons,  when 
taken  in  large  quantities ;  we  have  treated  this  subject  in  detail 
in  our  book,  "Old  Age  Deferred."  To  forbid  the  enjoyment 
of  a  glass  of  beer  to  a  hard-working  and  temperate  person  be- 
cause there  are  others  who  cannot  drink  without  becoming 


324  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

intoxicated  appears  to  me  to  be  unjust,  and  is  at  all  events  an 
interference  with  personal  liberty.  Such  absolute  prohibition, 
in  general,  only  leads  to  unbridled  indulgence;  I  noticed,  in  the 
case  of  patients  who  may  have  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  lo 
to  12  glasses  of  beer,  that,  when  I  allowed  them  to  take  one 
glass  of  Pilsner  beer,  which  is  principally  used  here,  at  each 
meal,  they  adhered  strictly  to  this  amount,  but  when  it  was 
absolutely  forbidden  they  usually  drank  more.  In  the  case  of 
beer  it  should  be  remembered  that  it  is  not  only  an  agreeable 
drink,  but  is  also  somewhat  nourishing.  In  addition  to  its 
alcohol  content — which  is  happily  not  at  all  large — beer  also 
contains  sugar  and  dextrin ;  in  the  dark  beers  there  is  quite  an 
appreciable  quantity.  The  least  injurious  beer,  from  the 
hygienic  standpoint,  is  that  which  does  not  contain  much 
alcohol.  The  beer  which  is  drunk  in  this  country  (Austria) 
contains  only  from  3  to  4  per  cent,  of  alcohol ;  in  export  beers 
more  alcohol  is  added  to  make  them  keep  better ;  they  are  con- 
sequently rather  more  injurious.  Nevertheless,  the  beer  ex- 
ported from  Austria  and  Germany  does  not  contain  over  6  per 
cent,  of  alcohol. 

This  added  amount  of  alcohol  affects  the  taste  of  beer,  and 
in  Bavaria  the  beer  tastes  very  much  better  than  it  does  in 
distant  places  in  Germany.  Since  English  beers  and  porter, 
ale,  and  stout  contain  as  much  as  8  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  an 
Austrian  white  wine  or  a  Rhine  wine  is  undoubtedly  a  more 
healthful  drink.  Among  the  beers  which  contain  the  smallest 
amount  of  alcohol  are  lager  beer  and  certain  varieties  drunk 
in  Belgium,  such  as  faro  and  brun.  It  is  no  doubt  not  an  un- 
warranted assertion  to  say  that  a  small  quantity  of  beer  taken 
daily  will  not  harm  anyone,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  may 
even  prove  beneficial.  It  increases  the  appetite,  for  instance, 
and  favors  the  action  of  the  bowels.  In  many  persons  a  little 
beer  helps  the  appetite  and  has  an  enlivening  effect;  with 
others,  sucJi  as  nervous  people,  it  causes  them  to  sleep  better. 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    325 

It  is  certain,  however,  that  beer  is  injurious  when  taken  in 
large  quantities  not  only  because  of  its  alcohol  content,  but 
also  because  of  the  mechanical  influence  of  large  quantities  of 
fluid  upon  the  heart,  blood-vessels,  and  kidneys.  Such  excess- 
i\e  beer  drinking  may  give  rise  to  very  serious  results,  and  it 
is  certain  that  the  development  of  arteriosclerosis  may  be 
caused  by  it.  Excessive  and  sometimes  even  moderate  beer 
drinking  is  detrimental  in  gout,  since,  according  to  Haig  and 
Walker  Hall,  beer — particularly  the  dark  varieties — contains 
substances  which  promote  the  formation  of  uric  acid.  In 
cases  of  gravel  and  stone  in  the  bladder  it  is  likewise  injurious. 
Dark  beer,  in  particular,  is  harmful  in  diabetes;  in  fact,  it  is 
better  for  these  patients  not  to  take  any  beer,  and  the  same  is 
true  in  the  case  of  obesity. 

Wine  is  even  less  than  beer  to  be  considered  a  nourishing 
substance ;  it  is  strictly  as  an  enjoyable  drink  that  wine  is  taken. 
As  with  beer,  it  can  be  stated  that  a  small  quantity — say,  one 
or  two  small  glasses  of  a  slightly  acid  Austrian  or  Rhine  or 
Mosel  wine,  and  possibly  on  holidays  even  an  additional  glass 
— taken  with  the  midday  meal  is  not  likely  to  prove  injurious; 
the  wine  taken  should  not  contain  more  than  8  per  cent,  of 
alcohol.  The  same  quantity  of  a  genuine  Hungarian  wine, 
such  as  the  Ofner  and  Erlauer  varieties,  or  of  the  French 
Bordeaux  or  Austrian  Tyrolese  wines  may  be  taken,  when  they 
do  not  contain  more  than  8  per  cent,  of  alcohol.  The  Pfalz 
and  certain  varieties  of  Mosel  wines,  which  contain  ii  to  12 
per  cent,  of  alcohol,  are  more  dangerous,  as  is  also  Burgundy ; 
a  variety  of  the  latter,  and  also  an  excellent  Bordeaux  wme, 
are  made  in  Belgium. 

In  the  matter  of  wine  the  two  constituent  nations  of 
Belgium  are  also  divided.  The  Flemish  have  carried  on  the 
worship  of  Bordeaux  wine  from  the  time  of  their  ancestors ; 
they  keep  it  for  years  in  their  cellars ;  and  although,  according 
to  historical  traditions,  many  illustrious  princes  of  Burgundy 


326  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

having  resided  in  Bruges,  it  would  seem  that  Burgundy  should 
be  preferred  by  the  Flemish,  it  is  really  the  Walloons,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Charleroi  and  Mons,  who  are  able  to  age  the 
Burgundy  wine  as  it  is  done  nowhere  else;  so  that  even  the 
French  travel  across  the  frontier  to  drink  a  good  Burgundy — 
in  Belgium.  Such  a  Burgundy,  however,  which  tickles  the 
palate  with  its  delicious  aroma,  is  not  good  for  the  health,  and 
when  a  man  is  gouty  and  has  the  means  permitting  of  a  choice 
between  Bordeaux  and  Burgimdy,  but  has  not  the  will  power 
to  deprive  himself  of  both — which  would  be  the  proper  thing 
to  do — Bordeaux  is  the  one  to  be  selected.  I  forbid  both  when 
I  am  treating  gouty  patients.  In  fact,  no  wine  is  indicated  in 
gout  except  perhaps  a  very  moderate  amount  of  a  light  white 
wine,  although  some  authors  do  not  positively  object  to  red 
wine.  Wine  should  also  be  avoided  in  arteriosclerosis,  as  well 
as  in  renal  and  vesical  calculi,  and  especially  in  cirrhosis  of  the 
liver;  in  fact,  alcohol  should  be  avoided  in  all  diseases  of  the 
liver.  In  the  majority  of  nervous  diseases  wine  is  not  advis- 
able, even  when  taken  in  moderate  quantities.  We  cannot 
deny,  however,  that  good,  genuine  wine  of  the  lighter  varieties 
has  its  advantages  when  used  in  small  quantities.  In  many 
persons  it  has  an  enlivening  and  cheering  effect,  the  appetite 
is  stimulated,  and  in  some  the  desire  to  work  is  increased.  In 
diarrhea  the  tannin  content  may  have  a  favorable  effect,  and 
Neubauer  and  others  have  obtained  good  results  in  severe 
cases  of  diabetes. 

I  find  less  excuse  for  the  use  of  fruit  wines  when  they, 
like  those  made  from  berries,  contain  lo  to  1 1  per  cent,  of 
alcohol,  since  in  their  manufacture  sugar  is  also  added,  which, 
by  its  fermentation,  further  increases  the  alcohol  content. 
When  one  cannot  do  without  taking  alcohol  in  the  form  of 
wine,  such  artificial  products  should  at  least  not  be  used ;  they 
are  more  injurious  than  ordinary  light  wines.  I  must  also 
decry  these  chemical  products  because  of  their  treacherous  and 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    327 

deceiving  effects ;  a  person  taking  strawberry  wine  will  be  more 
easily  intoxicated  than  with  the  fermented  juice  of  the  vine, 
i.e.,  regular  wine.  Among  the  substitutes  apple  wine  might 
be  best  recommended,  since  it  probably  does  not  contain  more 
alcohol  than  beer, — about  4^  to  5  per  cent.  Fruit  wines  were 
probably  not  meant  in  the  verse  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in 
which  it  says  that  '*Wine  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man." 

When  the  alcohol  content,  as  in  southern  wines  such  as 
Malaga,  and  even  more  so  in  port-wine  (16  to  17  per  cent.), 
is  pretty  high, — the  Tokay  wine  contains  11  to  12  per 
cent., — the  dangers  of  wine  may  be  even  greater.  Fortunately, 
the  rather  high  price  of  these  wines  prevents  their  being  used 
to  any  great  extent.  As  far  as  their  value  is  concerned,  they 
are  rather  to  be  regarded  as  remedial  agents  than  for  simple 
enjoyment.  Taken  in  small  quantities  they  have  a  tonic  action. 
A  small  glass  of  Tokay,  Malaga,  or  Madeira  may  be  useful  for 
weak  or  delicate  persons,  those  debilitated  by  disease,  anemic 
persons,  or  convalescents  after  exhausting  diseases.  In  this 
respect  the  much  more  alcoholic  cognacs  and  whisky  (40  tO'  50 
per  cent,  alcohol)  are  also  beneficial.  Their  only  role  is  as 
remedial  agents,  and  they  should  be  considered  as  tonics. 
Other  poisonous  substances  besides  alcohol  act  as  remedies  in 
small  doses,  but  when  more  of  them  are  taken,  become 
poisons.  To  be  sure,  there  are  persons — especially  in  England 
and  America — who  have  grown  very  old  while  taking  such 
poisons ;  in  my  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred"  I  cited  the  case 
of  an  old  lady  who,  having  taken  a  tablespoonful  of  whisky 
every  day,  lived  to  be  over  100  years  old.  It  is  certain,  how- 
ever, that  such  cases  are  exceptions,  since  the  devotees  of 
alcohol,  especially  in  the  form  of  alcoholic  drinks,  go  to  pieces 
both  bodily  and  mentally  at  an  early  age.  We  have  shown  in 
the  above-mentioned  work  the  terrible  results  due  to  the  use  of 
this  scourge  of  mankind.    We  shall  now  close  this  chapter,  as 


328  Health  Through  Ratiunal  Diet. 

the  limited  space  available  in  this  work  must  be  devoted  to  more 
useful  subjects  than  that  of  alcoholic  beverages. 

(w)  Sugar,  Saccharin,  Ice-cream,  Honey,  and 
Maple  Syrup. 

A  food  substance  for  which  children  and  young  girls  have 
a  marked  predilection  is  sugar  and  sweets  in  general.  I  am 
inclined  to  consider  such  a  craving  as  a  kind  of  instinct  which 
should  not  be  denied,  as  it  is  the  expression  of  some  necessity 
and  will  have  a  beneficial  effect.  It  seems  to  be  so  in  this  case, 
and  the  satisfying  of  this  craving  would  appear  to  be  a  physio- 
logical requirement  when  we  consider  that  in  childhood  another 
of  the  main  food  groups — a  meat  diet — is  not  indicated,  since 
those  of  the  ductless  glands  which  have  the  property  of 
destroying  the  toxic  products  formed  in  the  organism  by  the 
decomposition  of  the  meat  in  the  body  are  not  developed  until 
just  before  the  age  of  puberty,  e.g.,  the  thyroid  gland.  Sieg- 
mund  has  called  attention  to  the  interesting  fact  that  the  chil- 
dren who  show  symptoms  of  inherited  weakness  of  the  thyroid 
gland  have  a  very  decided  craving  for  large  quantities  of 
sugar.  When  such  a  child  was  treated  with  thyroid  extract 
tablets,  this  desire  for  sugar  decreased.  As  a  counterpart  to 
this  fact  I  would  like  to  cite  an  observation  which  I  have  made 
upon  myself.  Every  time  I  have  experimentally  taken  thyroid 
tablets — 2  daily — I  found  that  on  taking  honey — 50  to  60 
grams  at  a  time — I  felt  a  decided  discomfort  and  about  an  hour 
later  great  fatigue,  which  symptoms  did  not  occur  when  I  had 
not  been  taking  the  thyroid  extract  for  several  days.  It  is  an 
interesting  fact  that  when  a  person  has  become  a  pronounced 
meat-eater  he  has  very  little  desire  for  sugar  and  bonbons, 
while  with  children  and  weak  and  invalid  women  who  do  not 
care  for  meat  the  opposite  is  the  case. 


Good  and  Ezil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    329 

Sugar  is  the  best  and  the  easiest  form  in  which  to  use  car- 
bohydrates as  food,  since  the  process  of  converting  other  carbo- 
hydrates— starch,  for  instance^ — is  thereby  spared,  the  sugar 
itself  being  then  used.  The  sugar  we  use  is  either  cane-  or  beet- 
sugar.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  w^e  use  chiefly  the  latter,  as  we 
do  not  often  get  cane-sugar.  All  of  the  sugar  we  add  to  our 
food  is  probably  cleansed  and  refined  beet-sugar;  but  both  are 
equally  nourishing,  though  the  taste'  is  not  the  same.  While 
tasting  various  kinds  of  beet-  and  cane-  sugar  in  the  harbor  of 
Antwerp,  I  found  that  the  cane-sugar  has  a  much  finer  and 
more  agreeable  taste,  while  the  beet-sugar  has  a  slight  after- 
taste of  the  beet.  Stewed  fruit  and  marmalades  prepared  with 
cane-sugar  I  found  much  the  best. 

If  we  estimate  the  value  of  a  food  from  the  standpoint  of 
its  taste,  then  cane-sugar  should  be  given  the  preference,  but 
otherwise  the  two  varieties  are  alike,  for  the  sugar  of  the  beet 
is  quite  like  that  of  the  cane,  even  though  the  former  does  have 
a  slight  after-taste.  In  the  form  of  cut  sugar — as  the  beet- 
sugar  comes  to  our  table — the  difference  in  taste  is  scarcely 
distinguishable.  Cane-sugar  can  be  eaten  from  the  cane. 
While  in  Mexico  I  saw  such  pieces  of  cane  for  sale  in  the 
markets  of  all  of  the  cities.  They  form  a  good-tasting  and 
healthful  food.  By  simply  biting  the  cane,  the  juice  flows  out. 
Tt  is  a  great  pity  that  we  never  have  it  in  this  country. 

Crushed  or  powdered  sugar  not  only  serves  for  sweetening 
many  of  our  otherwise  rather  tasteless  foods,  such  as  flour 
foods,  rice,  certain  sour  vegetables,  etc.,  but  in  certain  quanti- 
ties it  also  enhances  the  nutritive  value.  When  not  taken  in 
too  considerable  amounts,  sugar  is  a  healthful  food,  even  in 
solutions ;  when  the  latter  are  very  concentrated  they  may  have 
an  irritating  effect  upon  the  gastric  mucous  membrane.  Taken 
in  large  quantities  at  one  time,  as  in  bonbons,  sugar  is  not  a 
healthful  food.  It  may  give  rise  to  fermentation  and  the 
formation  of  acid,  and  fruit  marmalades  containing  a  great 


330  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

deal  of  sugar  often  lie  very  heavily  upon  the  stomach.  Sweets 
are  to  be  strictly  forbidden  in  obesity,  and  naturally  also  in 
diabetes.  In  such  cases  saccharin  may  be  used;  but  otherwise 
the  use  of  the  latter  is  not  to  be  recommended ;  it  is  certainly 
dishonest  for  dealers  to  use  saccharin  for  sweetening  syrups, 
candies,  etc.,  instead  of  sugar.  This  is  a  fraud,  as  it  has  abso- 
lutely no  nutritive  value.  Saccharin  is  otherwise  not  injurious 
for  the  health,  as  has  been  proven  by  a  number  of  experiments, 
but  I  am  not  a  partisan  of  this  artificial  product,  and  for  many 
of  my  diabetic  patients,  when  they  do  not  wish  to  be  entirely 
deprived  of  a  sweetening  substance,  I  prefer  to  recommend  the 
taking  of  very  small  quantities  of  fruit-sugar  in  their  coffee, 
etc.  The  taste  of  saccharin  is  not  very  agreeable;  in  some 
kinds — dulcin,  for  example — the  taste  is  somewhat  alkaline, 
and  in  saxin  rather  less  so. 

In  other  countries,  especially  in  America  and  in  England, 
sweets  such  as  cream  bonbons  and  candies  of  all  sorts  are 
used  in  enormous  quantities,  as  is  well  shown  by  the  very  great 
number  of  shops  in  which  candies  and  sweets  are  sold.  In  the 
United  States  and  in  Canada  in  all  these  shops,  as  well  as  In 
most  drug  stores,  ice-cream  taken  in  glasses  with  soda  is  sold. 
I  found  this  variety  of  ice-cream  very  pleasant  in  taste,  and  it 
is  to  be  regretted  that  this  "ice-cream  soda"  has  not  been  in- 
troduced here.  In  some  few  establishments  in  Berlin  it  is  to  be 
had.  Ice-cream  made  from  fruit  juices,  with  the  addition  of  a 
great  deal  of  sugar  and  cream,  I  do  not  consider  injurious.  It 
has  the  same  effect  as  sugar  in  general,  viz.,  the  transmission 
of  the  energy  produced  by  the  carbohydrates  to  the  muscles, 
which  has  already  been  discussed  in  a  special  chapter  of  this 
work.  Notwithstanding  its  being  so  cold,  it  really  does  not 
have  an  unfavorable  action  upon  the  stomach,  not  any  more  so 
than  a  glass  of  ice-water,  which  has  been  the  subject  of  experi- 
ments by  Best  and  Cohnheim.  The  case  is  quite  different  when 
falsified  fruit  juices  and  particularly  when  a  poor  quality  of 


Good  and  Eznl  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    331 

cream  are  used,  as  is  not  infrequently  the  case  in  vanilla  and 
other  ice-creams.  This  may  give  rise  to  very  serious  conse- 
quences through  poisoning. 

We  consider  honey  as  a  very  excellent  and  hygienic  food. 
It  is  gathered  as  nectar  from  the  flowers  by  the  bees,  and  is  by 
them  digested,  thus  converting  the  sugar  into  invert-sugar — 
a  mixture  of  grape-  and  fruit-  sugar.  The  bees  then  deposit 
the  honey  in  the  combs  in  the  hives.  Honey  not  only  contains 
a  very  pleasant  and  palatable  substance  having  the  same  nutri- 
tive value  as  the  carbohydrates,  but  it  also'  contains  small 
amounts  of  lecithin  and  an  antiseptic  substance,  formic  acid, 
furnished  by  the  bee  for  the  preservation  of  the  honey.  It 
contains  78  to  80  per  cent,  of  carbohydrates,  including  approxi- 
mately equal  parts  of  grape-sugar  and  fruit-sugar,  although 
the  former  somewhat  exceeds  the  amount  of  the  latter.  Honey 
also  contains  cane-sugar,  dextrin,  fats,  and  formic  acid.  Ac- 
cording to  its  origin,  we  have  the  linden,  locust,  and  pine 
honey.  In  wooded,  mountainous  sections  we  obtain  a  very 
highly  perfumed  honey  from  the  heather  and  other  blossoms, 
and  in  some  countries,  e.g.,  in  Cuba,  there  is  a  honey  made  from 
the  wood  narcissi.  There  is  probably  scarcely  any  other  article 
of  food  which  is  so  greatly  falsified  as  honey,  and  it  would  be 
much  the  safest  plan  to  buy  it  in  the  comb.  When  buying  a 
clear,  fluid  honey  one  is  never  sure  of  what  one  is  getting ;  the 
colorless  white  honey  is  greatly  falsified  and  starch  syrup  is 
frequently  added  to  it.  Sometimes,  although  really  very 
rarely,  honey  may  contain  poisonous  substances  which  the  bees 
have  sipped  from  poisonous  flowers.  An  account  is  given  in 
Xenophon's  Anabasis  of  how  his  entire  army  fell  down  in  a 
stupefied  condition  after  having  eaten  such  poisonous  honey. 
Such  a  result  very  rarely  occurs  with  the  honey  which  we 
obtain  from  the  apiarist. 

Honey  may  render  us  very  valuable  services.  It  should 
never  be  missing  in  a  vegetarian  diet,  but  in  any  sort  of  a  diet 


332  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

good  honey  taken  at  breakfast  will  be  very  beneficial,  as  it  has 
a  very  favorable  effect  upon  the  action  of  the  bowels.  Owing 
to  its  content  of  formic  acid,  honey  also  has  certain  curative 
properties,  which  have,  however,  been  very  little  considered. 
In  pharyngeal  and  bronchial  catarrh  it  has  a  very  soothing 
effect.  In  some  countries  it  is  used  as  an  external  application 
for  painful  areas.  In  solution  it  may  be  added  to  certain  medi- 
cam.ents  and  beverages,  thus  increasing  their  action.  Mead, 
which  is  formed  by  the  alcoholic  fermentation  of  honey,  is 
greatly  liked  in  some  countries. 

(o)   Injurious  and  Uninjurious  Spices  and 
Condiments. 

Even  though  our  foods  may  contain  the  most  valuable 
nutritive  substances,  and  may  also  not  be  entirely  devoid  of 
taste-bearing  substances,  the  latter  do  not  greatly  come  into 
play,  and,  above  all,  do  not  exert  a  stimulating  effect  upon  the 
appetite,  when  other  substances — spices,  aromatics,  condi- 
ments, etc. — have  not  been  added  for  the  purpose  of  flavoring 
them.  And  since  it  is  so  necessary  that  such  substances  be 
mixed  with  the  food,  they  can  surely  not  all  be  considered  as 
injurious.  Fortunately,  our  organs,  and  especially  our  kidneys, 
have  been  so  perfectly  designed  by  the  Creator  that  they  are 
able  to  withstand  a  temporary  extra  burden;  and  although  a 
little  pepper  or  paprika  passes  through  them  occasionally,  this 
does  not  necessarily  mean  that  these  organs  are  consequently 
doomed  to  destruction.  It  is  important,  however,  that  this 
should  not  occur  continuously,  and  that  only  small  quantities 
of  such  substances  be  used ;  it  is  also  advisable  that  only  such 
spices,  etc.,  as  are  least  injurious  should  be  used.  Salt  is  not 
injurious  when  not  taken  in  too'  great  quantities ;  it  may  even 
have  a  beneficial  action,  as  has  been  stated  when  referring  to 
the  nutrient  salts.    Many  herbs  and  vegetable  condiments,  such 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    333 

as  parsley,  cives,  garlic  (in  small  quantities),  capers,  mar- 
joram, bayleaves,  saffron,  etc.,  are  uninjurious.  Fruit  acids, 
such  as  those  of  the  lemon,  are  not  injurious  and  are  often  very 
useful ;  it  is  much  more  healthful  to  use  lemon  juice  instead 
of  vinegar  in  making  salads.  To  be  sure,  a  genuine  wine  or 
fruit  vinegar  would  not  be  so  bad,  were  it  not  so  frequently 
falsified  by  the  addition  of  sulphuric  and  hydrochloric  acids. 
The  addition  of  small  quantities  of  wine  or  fruit  vinegars  to 
certain  otherwise  indigestible  foods  is  not  harmful  for  healthy 
persons ;  indeed,  it  even  has  the  property  of  softening  the  hard 
portions  of  such  foods,  thereby  making  them  more  digestible. 

The  condiments  which  are  often  added  to  bread,  and  par- 
ticularly the  black  breads,  i.c.j  caraway,  anis,  and  fennel  seeds, 
probably  have  no  deleterious  action;  they  may,  in  fact,  even 
exert  a  beneficial  action  in  stimulating  the  bowels.  The  fre- 
quent use  of  strong  seasoning,  such  as  onions  (the  red  onions 
are  the  best),  and  still  less  that  of  pepper,  Spanish  pepper 
(paprika),  and  ginger,  is  inadvisable. 

It  is  true  that  most  of  us  prefer  foods  which  contain  a 
little  pepper  or  paprika,  and  have  a  greater  appetite  for  them, 
and  consequently  more  gastric  juice  is  secreted  and  they  are 
better  digested.  Ginger  has  an  even  greater  action  in  this 
respect.  Without  doubt  the  appetizing  and  very  palatable 
properties  of  many  Hungarian  dishes  are  chiefly  due  to  the 
liberal  addition  of  paprika  and  red  onions,  although  the  special 
excellence  of  many  products  which  grow  in  this  sO'  greatly 
blessed  agricultural  country  may  also  be  an  essential  factor  in 
the  palatability  of  the  food  prepared  after  the  Hungarian 
fashion.  It  is  also  certain,  however,  that  these  highly  seasoned 
foods  which  so  many  Hungarians  eat  daily  have  a  very  dele- 
terious effect  upon  their  health.  Many  spices  and  condiments 
are,  on  the  other  hand,  not  injurious,  and  are  required  as  addi- 
tions to  food  substances.  In  hot  climates,  and  with  us  during 
the  heat  of  summer,  the  appetite  diminishes,  and  we  feel  very 


334  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

little  if  any  hunger.  The  consequence  would  be  that  our  nutri- 
tion would  suffer,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  all-wise 
forethought  of  Nature — which  always  acts  more  sensibly  than 
man — has  provided  in  just  these  hot  climates  a  series  of  the 
most  powerful  herbs  and  spices.  Wherever  rice  grows — which 
product  is  poor  in  regard  to  taste-bearing  constituents,  and 
where  many  of  the  foods  rich  in  starches,  but  having  in  general 
very  little  taste,  also  grow — there  Mother  Nature  likewise 
allows  a  profusion  of  spices  to  thrive.  And  indeed,  as  I  have 
already  mentioned  when  speaking  of  rice  foods,  the  natives, 
as  well  as  the  Europeans  living  in  those  countries,  use  these 
condiments  very  freely.  They  do  very  little  harm,  however, 
in  such  tropical  climates,  for  the  increased  activity  of  the  skin 
helps  to  carry  them  off  before  they  have  had  time  to  injuriously 
affect  the  liver  and  the  kidneys.  If  these  organs  are  in  any  way 
impaired,  the  consequences  will  be  serious;  it  is,  moreover,  a 
well-known  fact  that  the  health  of  Europeans  living  in  the 
tropics  will  become  affected  if  they  do  not  perspire  freely. 
Although  these  spices  are  not  particularly  injurious  in  such 
countries,  the  same  is  not  the  case  in  our  latitude.  It  follows, 
therefore,  that  ive  should  rather  use  spices,  etc.,  in  the  hot 
summertitne  than  in  the  ivinter,  when  it  is  cold,  especially  in 
the  northern  winters,  where  the  activity  of  the  skin  is  suspended 
and  all  injurious  spices  would  have  to  be  eliminated  by  the 
kidneys,  thus  subjecting  these  organs  to  serious  injury. 

The  taste  of  many  foods,  such  as  rice,  coming  from  exotic 
countries  is,  in  fact,  very  materially  improved  by  the  addition 
of  saffron,  cinnamon,  etc.  (rice  with  cinnamon  and  raisins  is 
a  delicious  dish),  while  vanilla  gives  a  fine  aroma  to  sweets 
and  pastry.  All  of  these,  when  used  in  small  quantities,  as  is 
usually  the  case,  are  probably  not  injurious.  Pepper  is  also 
less  injurious  when  it  has  been  kept  in  a  finely  ground  condi- 
tion for  some  time,  by  which  the  greater  part  of  the  ethereal 
oils  are  volatilized,  and  is  only  then  used  in  foods.    The  grind- 


Good  and  Evil  Effects  of  Various  Food  Substances.    335 

ing  of  the  pepper  should,  however,  be  done  at  home,  as  when 
one  buys  the  powdered  pepper  it  is  impossible  to  say,  just  as  is 
the  case  with  other  spices  in  this  form,  what  may  have  been 
added  to  them. 


CHAPTER  V. 

VEGETARIANISM   AND   ITS   ADVANTAGES   AND    DISADVAN- 
TAGES.    HINTS  FOR  THE  PREVENTION  OF  THE  LATTER. 

I.   The  Dangers  of  a  Strictly  Vegetarian  Diet. 

It  is  the  object  of  these  hues  to  prove  that  a  strictly 
vegetarian  diet,  when  continued  for  a  long  time,  is  a  very  iin- 
healthful  and  dangerous  mode  of  nourishment.  It  is  above 
all  most  irrational.  For  when — as  I  have  so  frequently  seen 
in  the  vegetarian  restaurants  in  Germany — a  person  who 
works  hard  all  day  takes  for  his  midday  meal  a  plate  of  green- 
vegetable  soup,  then,  as  the  principal  dish  of  the  repast,  carrots 
or  spinach  with  potatoes,  after  this  some  apple  sauce,  and 
finally  a  few  nuts  or  a  small  quantity  of  some  other  fruit,  he  is 
in  great  danger.  It  is  truly  a  murderous  diet.  His  evening 
meal  is  also  similarly  composed,  and  his  breakfast  consists  of 
some  substitute  for  cofTee.  As  a  person  absorbs  with  such  a 
diet  only  a  minimum  quantity  of  albumin  and  carbohydrates, 
he  subjects  himself  to  all  the  dangers  which  we  have  enumer- 
ated in  the  chapters  devoted  to  a  one-sided  diet  and  to  insuffi- 
cient nourishment.  The  greatest  of  these  is,  however,  the  fact 
that  the  composition  of  the  principal  fluid  of  the  body — the 
blood — is  defective  and  its  quantity  is  insufficient. 

This  gives  rise  to  anemia,  and  a  most  frequent  result  of 
such  long-continued  undernutrition  is  tuberculosis.  Indeed, 
notwithstanding  frequent  visits  to  vegetarian  restaurants  in 
various  countries,  I  have  never  seen  a  strict  vegetarian  who 
did  not  look  pale  and  thin. 

There  cannot  possibly  be  a  really  scientific  basis  for  such 
an  erroneous  mode  of  living.  The  most  important  producer  of 
(336) 


Vegetarianism,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.       337 

energy  in  our  foods,  the  albumin,  is  only  very  slightly  repre- 
sented, and  of  this  limited  amount  a  considerable  portion  is 
lost  in  the  intestine  owing  to  the  difficult  assimilation.  Since, 
however,  strict  vegetarians  do  not  lay  much  stress  upon 
albumin,  the  carbohydrates  should  necessarily  be  all  the  more 
plentifully  represented  in  their  nourishment.  It  is,  neverthe- 
less, unfortunately  the  case  that  in  the  majority  of  vegetarian 
restaurants  in  Austria  and  particularly  in  Germany  the  main 
object  seems  to  be  to  furnish  very  cheap  foods.  They  are 
consequently  greatly  frequented  by  poor  people  who  wish  to 
dine  cheaply.  The  proprietor  naturally  wishes  to  realize  as 
much  as  possible ;  consequently  many  aliments  containing  con- 
siderable amounts  of  carbohydrate,  such  as  tapioca,  sago, 
maizena,  honey,  and  sometimes  even  rice,  do  not  appear  on 
their  bills  of  fare,  or  are  possibly  not  much  called  for,  as  the 
price  is  too  high.  According  to  Rubner,  when  there  is  too 
little  albumin  in  the  food,  more  carbohydrates' and  fats  are 
necessary.  In  such  a  ridiculously  strict  vegetable  diet  this 
point  is  not  even  considered.  The  food  consists  principally  of 
vegetables,  and  possibly  cereals  and  fruit;  in  the  majority  of 
cases,  however,  the  bulk  of  the  food  is  composed  of  green 
vegetables,  roots,  cabbages,  etc.  Considerable  amounts  of 
these  must  then  be  taken  in  order  to  fill  the  requirements  of 
the  moment,  and  to  still  hunger. 

The  cow  is  in  the  field  from  early  morning  until  the 
evening  in  order  to — and  this  is  her  only  occupation — absorb 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  food  for  her  needs ;  and  since  the  latter 
consists  of  grass  which  is  not  very  rich  in  nitrogen,  she  must 
take  a  very  great  deal  of  it  to  thrive.  If  she  does  not  do  this 
and  stops  feeding,  she  is  ill.  A  cow  cannot  starve  for  several 
days,  nor  can  a  strict  vegetarian  do  so.  He  also  must,  day  in 
and  day  out,  take  large  quantities  of  food ;  I  must  admit,  how- 
ever, that  some  who  subsist  upon  a  fruit  diet  can,  after  a 
long  training,  manage  with  less.     Whether  they  are  as  thor- 


338  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

oughly  invulnerable  to  a  possible  infection  as  those  who  use 
all  kinds  of  foods  is  a  question.  The  average  strict  vegetarian 
must,  therefore,  eat  large  quantities  of  cabbage  and  other 
varieties  of  vegetables,  cereals,  potatoes,  etc.  In  order  to 
utilize  and  assimilate  it  all,  he  would  have  to  imitate  the  cow 
and  possess  four  stomachs,  to  rechew  his  food.  The  intestine 
would  have  to  be  very  much  logger,  with  a  large  cecal  pouch, 
containing  the  same  ferment  as  in  the  rodents, — the  cytase, — 
for  him  to  be  able  to  digest  the  great  quantity  of  cellulose  con- 
tained in  such  food.  Since,  however,  he  is  not  provided  with 
all  this,  he  will  fare  badly  when  such  a  diet  is  too  long  con- 
tinued. To  assist,  in  so  far  as  possible,  the  digestion  and 
assimilation  of  the  foods  in  themselves  already  so  poor  in 
albumin,  these  foods  must  be  very  carefully  masticated,  which 
is  only  possible  when  the  teeth  are  good;  much  saliva  and 
gastric  juice  must  also  be  provided — we  have  already  men- 
tioned that  bread  requires  five  times  as  much  pepsin  as  meat — 
and  the  intestine  must  secrete  much  fluid,  in  order  to  further 
the  digestion  and  the  elimination  of  the  large  amounts  of  feces 
resulting  from  such  foods.  All  this  would  require  an  outlay 
on  the  part  of  the  organism,  since  the  cells  thus  given  ofif  would 
have  to  be  replaced.  The  only  substance  in  the  food  capable 
of  accomplishing  this  renewal  is  the  albumin.  Now,  in  such 
a  strictly  vegetarian  diet  the  absorption  of  albumin  is  very 
slight,  for  the  intestinal  juice  cannot  readily  digest  the  cellulose 
in  which  the  albumin  is  inclosed.  Animals  are  better  off  in 
this  respect,  for  all-wise  Nature  provides  whatever  is  required 
to  fit  the  circumstances,  and  has  given  to  rodents  a  special 
ferment  which  breaks  down  the  cellulose.  As  the  human 
vegetarian  is  not  provided  with  such  ferment,  much  of  the 
albumin  in  his  food  is  lost  to  him.  The  starches  are  for  the 
same  reason  also  poorly  assimilated.  A  considerable  portion 
of  the  albumin  and  starch  content  of  the  food  is  also  lost 
because  such  a  diet  exerts  an  irritating  effect  upon  the  intes- 


Vegetarianism,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.        339 

tine,  and  it  is  consequently  expelled  too  soon,  before  the  nu- 
trient substances  have  been  absorbed.  As  a  result  of  this,  with 
the  usual  food  of  a  strict  vegetarian  there  must  undoubtedly 
be  a  deficiency  of  albumin,  as  well  as  of  carbohydrate ;  such  a 
person  is  undernourished  and  is  consequently  subject  to  the 
dangers  above  named. 

A  great  disadvantage  of  such  an  erroneous  mode  of  feed- 
ing is  the  very  great  amount  of  feces  formed  and  the  too  fre- 
quent bowel  movements,  I  have  myself  experimented  with 
such  a  strict  vegetarian  diet  for  several  days,  and  found  that, 
instead  of  having,  as  usual,  one  bowel  movement  each  day, 
there  were  two  or  three  and  sometimes  even  more;  the  feces 
were  very  much  increased,  as  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
food  itself  was  expelled  with  them.  Such  an  augmentation  of 
the  stools  is  in  no  way  advantageous,  as  the  intestine  is  sub- 
jected to  too  violent  exertion.  While  the  cow  gives  off  a 
quantity  of  dung,  it  serves  as  a  valuable  fertilizer  for  the  earth 
from  which  she  receives  her  nourishment;  human  excrements 
play  no  special  role  in  this  connection. 

It  is  certain  that  the  digestive  organs  must  suffer  under 
such  a  diet,  and  that  they  must  undergo  certain  changes  due 
to  their  overactivity ;  this  is  self-evident  owing  to  the  fact  that 
they  were  not  adapted  by  nature  for  such  use.  When  a  true 
vegetarian  parent  wishes  to  bring  up  his  child — after  it  has 
been  weaned — upon  a  strictly  vegetable  diet,  it  may  be  pos- 
sible that  the  child's  intestines  will  become  longer  and  better 
adapted  for  such  food,  but  in  the  adult  this  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected. Since,  however,  the  suckling  child  of  the  vegetarian 
lives  solely  upon  milk,  i.e.,  a  substance  of  animal  origin,  and 
could  not  be  nourished  in  any  other  way,  I  cannot  comprehend 
why  he  does  not  realize  that  this  forms  the  proper  food  for  the 
child,  and  does  not  therefore  continue  to  feed  it  upon  a  milk- 
eg'g-vegetable  diet,  which  is  in  my  opinion  the  best  and  most 
rational  one. 


340  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Such  a  strictly  vegetable  diet  very  frequently  gives  rise  to 
gastric  and  intestinal  disturbances,  and  many  a  vegetarian 
would  undoubtedly  be  cured  of  his  mania — for  they  are  indeed 
often  fanatics — were  he  to  be  shown  his  feces  with  the  large 
amounts  of  undigested  food  contained  therein.  The  intestines 
have  vainly  endeavored  to  utilize  the  latter,  but  the  results  are 
not  at  all  in  proportion  to  the  effort  entailed.  Such  a  defective 
diet  also  has  an  injurious  effect  upon  the  nervous  system  and 
the  mind  as  well,  which  fact  has  previously  been  referred  to. 
While  it  is  thus  injurious  to  a  normal  individual,  the  vegetable 
diet  may,  on  the  other  hand,  be  very  beneficial  in  certain  dis- 
eases, such  as  gout,  arteriosclerosis,  diabetes,  and  obesity.  All 
of  these  diseases  are  frequently  the  result  of  overfeeding,  and 
consequently  a  less  generous  and  nutritious  diet,  such  as  the 
purely  vegetarian  one,  may  be  most  useful.  When,  however, 
such  a  diet  is  to  be  persisted  in  for  any  length  of  time  without 
giving  rise  to  injurious  consequences,  certain  rules  must  be 
followed  which  we  shall  discuss  in  the  next  chapter. 

2.  Hints  in  Regard  to  the  Rational  Procedure  in  a 
Strictly  Vegetarian  Diet. 

The  most  important  requirement  in  a  rational  vegetarian 
diet  is  the  thorough  cooking  of  the  food,  by  which  the  cellulose 
coverings  are  burst  asunder,  thus  enabling  the  digestive  fluids 
to  act  successfully  upon  their  contents.  This  requires  a  scien- 
tific mode  of  cooking,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  too 
great  a  heat  must  not  be  long  continued.  The  starch  granules 
are  swollen  by  the  heat,  their  outer  covering  is  burst  open, 
and  the  albuminous  contents  are  freed ;  when,  however,  the 
heat  is  too  great,  they  may,  on  the  other  hand,  become  shriveled 
up,  and  in  this  case  the  outer  covering  of  cellulose  will  remain 
intact.  It  would  therefore  be  more  to  the  purpose  not  to  sub- 
ject the  foods  to  a  very  great  heat  for  any  length  of  time,  and 


Vegetarianism,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.       341 

cooking  in  a  steaming  apparatus  would  undoubtedly  be  the 
best  procedure,  since  in  this  way  the  important  nutritive  salts 
are  not  extracted  from  the  vegetables,  which  very  readily 
occurs  when  they  are  cooked  in  water  for  a  long  time. 

Thorough  mastication  of  the  food  is  even  more  important 
with  a  vegetarian  than  with  a  meat  diet,  since  the  action  of 
the  digestive  fluids  upon  the  cellulose-rich  vegetables  is 
materially  lessened  when  the  latter  are  not  well  masticated. 
For  the  meat-eater  it  does  not  so  much  matter  whether  a  little 
more  or  less  of  his  albumin-rich  food  is  lost,  while  in  the 
vegetarian  diet,  which  is  already  poor  in  albumin,  this  plays 
an  injurious  role.  Only  a  person  having  excellent  teeth  can  be 
a  good  vegetarian ;  when  the  latter  are  defective,  as  in  the  case 
of  old  people,  the  vegetables  must  be  prepared  in  a  fluid  form 
or  as  purees  or  soups,  or  be  chopped  very  fine. 

It  would  be  much  the  best  for  all  vegetarians  to  take  the 
vegetables  containing  the  greatest  amount  of  albumin  in  this 
form,  as  it  is  otherwise,  i.e.,  in  the  leguminous  vegetables,  only 
very  poorly  assimilated,  so  that  much  of  it  is  unavoidably  lost. 
Some  of  the  vegetables  which  are  eaten  without  the  shells — 
peas,  for  example — are  better  assimilated,  but  lentils  and  beans 
less  so.  The  latter  had  much  better  be  taken  mashed  into  a 
puree.  Soy  beans  are  also  good  when  prepared  in  this  way, 
and  would  prove  a  valuable  addition  to>  a  vegetarian  diet.  In 
the  vegetarian  restaurants  which  claim  to  furnish  a  nourish- 
ing menu — not  always  a  very  sensible  one,  as  one  so  often 
finds — such  purees  of  leguminous  vegetables  should  be  a  daily 
item  of  the  bill  of  fare. 

It  would,  moreover,  be  advisable  that  sufficient  quantities 
of  albumin-containing  foods,  such  as  leguminous  vegetables, 
mushrooms,  etc.,  be  regularly  included  among  those  constitut- 
ing a  vegetable  diet.  For  old,  weak  people,  or  those  subject 
to  flatulence,  the  only  resource  would  be  some  nutritious  prepa- 
ration   made    from    albumin-containing   vegetables — such    as 


342  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

sarton,  which  is  made  of  soy  beans,  or  roborat,  prepared  from 
the  albumin  of  wheat.  Small  quantities  of  these  substances 
will  furnish  as  much  albumin  as  is  contained  in  much  larger 
amounts  of  cereals  or  bread. 

The  albumin-containing  cereals  in  general  should  be  very 
well  represented  in  the  strictly  vegetarian  diet  not  only  on 
account  of  the  albumin,  but  because  of  the  high  carbohydrate 
content.  In  the  diet  of  the  unscientific  vegetarian — unfor- 
tunately such  ignorant  procedures  are  the  rule — the  albumin 
and  carbohydrate  content  is  not  considered,  and  both  of  these 
substances  are  insufificiently  represented.  Even  at  best,  this  is 
still  the  case  with  the  albumin ;  therefore,  correspondingly 
greater  amounts  of  carbohydrates  should  be  absorbed.  Cereals 
can  be  used  to  meet  these  requirements,  but  not  in  the  form  of 
a  coarse,  whole-wheat,  or  graham  bread,  so  often  furnished  in 
vegetarian  restaurants ;  fine  wheat  bread  should  be  used 
instead.  For  a  meat-eater,  or  even  a  person  living  upon  a 
diet  consisting  of  milk,  eggs,  and  vegetables,  the  coarser  bread 
would  be  better  adapted,  as  it  contains  more  of  the  nutrient 
salts  and  also  more  cellulose.  The  vegetarian  already  ingests 
a  plentiful  supply  of  the  latter,  and  what  he  requires  is  more  of 
nutritious  substances,  which  will  be  furnished  by  the  otherwise 
prohibited  fine  wheat  bread. 

Oats  would  be  a  practical  food  for  strict  vegetarians,  but 
should  be  used  in  a  form  in  which  the  albumin  and  carbohy- 
drates can  be  assimilated — especially  in  the  case  of  old  and 
weak  persons — e.g.,  in  the  form  of  one  of  the  prepared  oat 
foods,  such  as  Knorr's  preparation  or  Quaker  oats.  All  other 
similar  carbohydrate-containing  foods,  such  as  rice,  buckwheat, 
etc.,  would  also  be  very  beneficial,  because  the  portions  which 
are  difficult  to  digest — the  husks — have  been  removed.  They 
are  more  readily  assimilated  in  this  form,  and  the  nutritive 
value  is  also  increased.  This  is,  of  course,  of  great  importance 
in  a  vegetable  diet,  which  is  less  nutritious  than  any  other. 


Vegetarianism,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.       343 

Tapioca,  sago,  rice,  and  similar  aliments  containing  carbohy- 
drates, but  poor  in  cellulose,  should  always  be  abundantly 
represented  in  any  form  of  vegetable  diet. 

The  dishes  prepared  from  a  mixture  of  fine  wheat  meal 
and  potato  flour,  so  frequently  eaten  in  Austria-Hungary  and 
used  in  another  form  for  breakfast  in  America,  are  also  very 
advantageous.  In  the  last-named  country  they  consist  often 
of  a  kind  of  gruel  made  of  wheat  (cream  of  wheat)  or  of 
oats,  and  also  include  cakes  of  wheat,  buckwheat,  or  corn  flour 
which  resemble  our  pancakes.  The  Americans  eat  with  these  a 
syrup  (maple  syrup)  made  in  Canada  or  Vermont  from  the 
sap  of  the  maple  tree.  With  us  such  a  breakfast  would  be 
especially  useful  for  vegetarians,  and  in  this  way  one  would  be 
sure  of  having  an  appreciable  quantity  of  carbohydrate  in  the 
food.  As  the  maple  syrup  is  difficult  to  obtain  here,  one  might 
use  with  the  cakes  a  syrup  made  of  cane-sugar,  like  that  which 
comes  from  Java  (the  Gula  Java  of  the  Malays),  or  honey, 
which  is  similar  to  these  syrups.  Their  use  has  the  advantage 
that  the  nutritive  value  is  increased  by  the  sugar  contained  in 
them.  Some  fat  had  best  be  used  with  these  cakes ;  and  since 
the  strict  vegetarian  abjures  animal  fats,  the  best  varieties  of 
vegetable  fats — those  containing  the  least  of  the  fatty  acids — 
such  as  fine  olive  oil,  palm  oil,  etc.,  should  be  used.  In  fact,  a 
certain  amount  of  fats  is  quite  as  necessary  in  a  vegetable  diet 
as  the  carbohydrates,  albumin  being  so  very  poorly  represented. 
With  green  vegetables,  including  salad  (best  mixed  with 
vinegar),  a  good  proportion  of  fat  can  be  absorbed,  and  fat- 
containing  fruits  and  nuts — such  as  the  fatty  groundnuts 
(Arachides)  which  come  to  us  from  the  Congo,  Brazil,  etc. — 
may  also  be  used.  Naturally,  these  must  all  be  very  carefully 
masticated,  as  they  are  not  very  digestible  owing  tO'  the  high 
fat  content. 

In  the  way  of  fruit  the  disciples  of  a  strictly  vegetable 
diet  should  give  the  preference  to  the  very  nourishing  dried 


344  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

fruits, — although  they  are  rather  hard  to  digest  on  account  of 
the  increased  proportion  of  raw  fiber.  In  regard  to  difficulty 
of  digestion,  dried  bananas — such  as  are  imported  from  Suri- 
nam by  Abraham  Diirninger  in  Herrenhut,  and  which  are 
much  used  in  Holland — form  an  exception.  I  frequently  eat 
them  myself  in  the  summer  months  when  I  live  upon  a  vege- 
table diet,  and  find  them  easy  to  digest  and  very  nutritious. 
As  has  already  been  stated,  bananas  contain  but  little  cellulose ; 
the  drying  process  greatly  increases  the  sugar  content,  so  that, 
although  the  starch  content  of  the  fresh  ripe  banana  is  only 
16.20  per  cent.,  dried  bananas  often  contain  70  per  cent,  of 
sugar  or  sometimes  even  more.  Figs  and  dates,  English 
walnuts,  hazelnuts,  pistachio  nuts,  etc.,  and  fresh  fruits  should 
always  be  represented  in  the  dessert  taken  by  vegetarians. 

The  menu  of  the  strict  vegetarian  should  thus  rationally 
be  so  combined  that  at  the  principal  meal,  after  a  vegetable 
puree  soup,  some  albumin-containing  food  such  as  mushrooms 
or  some  leguminous  vegetable  (best  in  puree  form)  should  be 
taken,  together  with  green  vegetables  combined  with  some 
vegetable  fat;  next  either  tapioca,  sago,  or  rice,  etc.,  then 
pastry  or  cakes,  and  afterward  nuts  and  dried  or  fresh  fruits. 
As  a  dessert,  in  order  to  increase  the  nutritive  value  of  the 
diet,  some  chocolate  might  also  be  taken, — this  best  in  the  form 
of  the  fat-containing  Giandujas  of  Turin,  which  readily  melt 
in  the  mouth,  or  some  other  form  of  cream  chocolate.  In  con- 
formity with  the  physiology  of  digestion,  sweets,  when  eaten 
alone,  should  always  be  taken  at  the  end  of  a  meal.  After  the 
repast  a  cup  of  caffeine-free  coffee  may  be  taken.  For  break- 
fast the  flat  cakes  or  the  various  gruels  made  of  cereals,  with 
honey  and  fruit,  are  indicated  as  the  principal  components  of 
the  meal,  and  for  the  evening  repast  albumin-containing  vege- 
tables, green  vegetables,  and  other  starchy  foods,  together 
with  fruit,  should  again  be  taken. 

Menus  in  the  vegetarian  restaurants  should  likewise  be 


Vegetarianism,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.       345 

made  up  according  to  the  rules  given  above.  A  great  draw- 
back in  this  connection  is  the  fact  that  motives  of  economy 
prevail  in  these  establishments.  The  main  object  seems  to  be 
the  giving  of  as  much  as  is  at  all  possible  for  at  most  i  mark 
(25  cents)  or  for  70  or  80  pfennigs  (18  or  20  cents).  That 
food  of  the  very  best  quality  is  consequently  not  the  rule  is  as 
regrettable  as  it  is  easily  understood.  When  the  true  vege- 
tarian, owing  to  the  inferior  quality  of  the  food,  thus  absorbs 
even  less  of  nutritious  substances  than  he  would  otherwise 
have,  he  is  even  more  exposed  to  undernutrition.  It  would  be 
ver\^  advantageous  if  in  all  large  cities  vegetarian  societies  or 
clubs  were  formed  which  would  build  and  control  restaurants 
of  this  kind.  In  Manchester,  England,  a  splendid  example  of 
such  a  society  exists,  which  does  very  excellent  work;  it  is 
materially  assisted  by  benefactions  from  those  interested  in  its 
success.  It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  we  do  not  here  also 
have  some  wealthy  vegetarians  who  would  construct  such 
vegetarian  restaurants  in  the  interests  of  the  public  welfare  in 
general.  Establishments  of  this  kind  should  also  be  founded  by 
persons  dying  without  heirs,  and  who  wish  to  perpetuate  their 
names  by  some  benefaction  which  would  help  tO'  prolong  the 
life  of  many.  In  this  way  vegetarianism  could  prolong  life, 
but  only  when  practised  upon  scientific  lines.  The  greatest 
prospect  of  a  prolonged  existence  is,  however,  only  afforded 
by  the  milk-egg-vegetable  diet,  which  we  shall  now  discuss.  A 
strictly  vegetable  diet  as  above  described  may  be  continued  for 
weeks,  or  perhaps  even  months,  by  some  persons — and  by  some 
women  of  a  certain  constitution  and  build  even  longer — but  the 
majority  of  average  individuals  often  suffer  from  intestinal 
disturbances  and  stomach  affections — very  frequently  over- 
acidity.  These  results,  as  well  as  nervous  affections,  then 
render  a  change  of  diet  imperative. 


346  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

3.  The  Special  Advantages  of  the  Milk-Egg- 
Vegetable  Diet. 

It  would  not  be  difficult  for  us  to  prove  that  the  milk-egg- 
vegetable  diet  is  the  most  rational  for  man,  especially  for  the 
adult.  When  near  the  age  of  puberty,  the  addition  of  a  certain 
quantity  of  meat  would  be  advisable  for  reasons  which  have 
already  been  given. 

That  the  milk-egg-vegetable  diet  is  that  best  adapted  for 
man  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  each  one  of  the  principal  com- 
ponents of  which  it  is  made  up,  i.e.,  the  milk,  the  eggs,  and 
the  vegetables,  plays  a  most  useful  part  in  our  nutrition.  Their 
useful  properties  have  already  been  treated  at  length.  The 
best  feature  of  such  a  method  of  feeding  is  that  each  of  the 
three  foods  is  possessed  of  advantages,  but  of  no  evil  effect. 
To,  live  upon  milk  alone  would  be  difficult  as  well  as  inade- 
quate, even  if  very  large  quantities  were  taken;  the  same 
remark  applies  to  vegetables.  When,  however,  eggs  are  used 
in  conjunction  with  milk  and  vegetables,  a  very  substantial 
diet  is  obtained,  and  as  I  have  noticed  in  my  patients,  and  like- 
wise with  myself,  one  can  gain  considerably  in  weight  when 
living  upon  such  a  diet.  When  ij^  liters  of  milk  are  taken  per 
day  an  average  of  about  60  grams  of  albumin  is  received;  2 
eggs  added  daily  to  the  milk  will  raise  the  albumin  assimilated 
to  70  grams;  if  4  eggs  are  taken,  one  will  have  obtained  a 
fully  sufficient  quantity  of  albumin.  I  have  myself  lived  upon 
such  a  milk-egg-vegetable  diet  for  several  months,  and  got  on 
very  well  indeed  with  70  grams  of  albumin,  although  I  was 
taking  considerable  exercise  at  the  time.  I  have  also  observed 
that  a  diet  of  milk  and  eggs  and  plenty  of  carbohydrates  has  a 
tendency  to  accustom  one  to  thrive  on  a  rather  smaller  amount 
of  albumin. 

There  is  probably  no  other  diet  which  contains  less  of 
substances  which  are  injurious  for  our  various  organs.     The 


Vegetarianism,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.       347 

milk  diet  is  the  least  injurious.  Both  milk  and  eggs  do  not 
form  any  uric  acid,  nor  do  they  contain  any  injurious  extractive 
substances.  The  same  is  the  case  with  most  of  the  vegetables, 
especially  those  which  are  richest  in  starch,  such  as  rice, 
tapioca,  sago,  etc.  The  majority  of  ripe  fruits,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  those  containing  considerable  amounts  of  oxalic 
acid,  are  also  free  of  injurious  substances.  In  order  to  carry 
on  such  a  diet  in  a  rational  manner,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
take,  as  a  basis  for  it,  4  or  6  eggs  daily,  with  some  cheese.  At 
each  meal,  or  at  midday  and  in  the  evening,  2  eggs  should  be 
taken,  with  milk  and  cheese,  and  perhaps  for  breakfast  i  of 
the  pancakes  previously  referred  to — made  of  various  kinds 
of  flour — with  honey  or  some  fruit  syrup ;  fresh  fruit  at  every 
meal ;  fresh  fruit  for  breakfast,  and  both  cooked  and  fresh 
fruits  at  dinner  and  supper.  I  also  consider  it  very  beneficial  to 
eat,  during  several  days,  fruit  only  at  the  evening  meal;  this 
might  also  be  done  on  certain  days  of  the  week  instead  of  on 
successive  days.  For  such  a  meal  the  most  nourishing  foods 
would  be  dried  fruits,  bananas,  St.  John's  bread  (the  dried 
fruit  of  the  locust  tree — which  must  be  thoroughly  masti- 
cated), figs,  dates,  nuts,  with  dried  currants  and  raisins  (thus 
mixed  they  taste  very  good),  almonds,  and  particularly  pista- 
chio nuts,  which  are  the  most  easily  digested  of  the  oily  nuts. 
In  winter  the  fat-containing  nuts  and  fruits  are  best;  on  hot 
summer  days  principally  fresh  fruits  should  be  taken — cherries 
in  the  spring  and  early  summer,  grapes  in  the  autumn,  and  in 
midsummer  apples,  pears,  and  plums. 

I  particularly  advise  the  taking  of  plenty  of  fruit  because, 
among  all  our  foods,  with  the  exception  of  milk,  this  food  is 
the  only  one  which  we  take  just  as  it  was  made  by  the  Creator, 
without  any  cooking  or  the  addition  of  other  substances.  In 
this  way  all  of  the  natural  properties  remain  undisturbed.  We 
must  here  emphasize  the  fact  that  many  of  the  important  fer- 
ments contained  in  various  foods  are  destroyed  in  the  prepara- 


348  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

_ n 

tion  of  the  latter,  so  that  we  lose  all  of  their  effects.  As,  how- 
ever, many  of  the  fresh  fruits  contain  rather  too  much  acid, 
which  has  an  injurious  effect  upon  some  persons,  dried  fruits 
or  those  containing  but  little  acid  when  fresh,  such  as  bananas, 
dates,  etc.,  should  be  taken  when  considerable  quantities  are  to 
be  eaten.  A  healthy  stomach  and  intestine  is  required,  and 
then  bread,  butter,  and  cheese,  with  fresh  and  dried  fruits,  will 
furnish  a  good  and  healthful  meal. 

There  is  no  diet  which  will  as  certainly  preserve  good 
health  or  which  will  so  effectively  favor  a  return  to  health  as 
the  milk-egg-vegetable  diet,  scientific  ally  employed.  With  no 
other  diet  can  so  much  be  done  to  keep  the  blood-vessels  in 
good  condition,  and  to  insu^-e  a  proper  composition  of  the 
blood  and  its  adequate  circulation.  Such  a  diet  would  be  the 
very  best  in  arteriosclerosis,  but  here  not  more  than  i  liter  of 
milk  divided  into  several  portions  must  be  taken.  According 
to  my  experience  with  a  large  number  of  patients,  there  can 
surely  be  no  better  mode  of  nutrition  than  the  above,  and  all 
of  my  liver  patients — without  exception — had  a  better  color 
and  looked  much  more  healthy  after  two  or  three  weeks  of 
such  a  diet.  I  wish  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  particularly 
in  cases  of  gallstones  it  gave  very  good  results,  especially  be- 
cause the  functions  of  the  bowels  were  perfectly  carried  on. 
The  advantages  of  this  diet  in  such  affections  reside  in  the 
fact  that  the  lactic  acid  fei-mentation  (I  prefer  to  give  sour 
milk,  jogurt,  and  kefir  in  such  cases)  brings  about  antisepsis  of 
the  intestine  and  prevents  the  development  of  injurious  bac- 
teria, so  that  infection  of  the  gall-duct — the  principal  factor  in 
inflammation  of  the  gall-duct  and  the  disease  above  mentioned 
— is  more  readily  prevented.  Plenty  of  grapes  taken  with  such 
a  diet  gave  excellent  results  in  gall-stone  disease,  in  my  experi- 
ence. That  it  is  also  very  beneficial  in  gout  is  self-evident,  but 
vegetables  containing  purin  bodies — of  which  a  list  is  given  on 
page  361 — should  as  far  as  possible  be  avoided.     Chiefly  the 


Vegetarmnum,  Advantages  and  Disadvantages.       349 

ripe  acid  fruits  should  be  used.  In  renal  calculi  consisting  of 
uric  acid  a  diet  of  this  sort  also  has  an  excellent  effect;  when 
there  are  phosphatic  stones  it  should,  on  the  contrary,  be 
avoided.  For  diabetic  patients  it  is  an  ideal  diet,  but  a  milk 
without  sugar,  like  the  Gaertner  preparation,  should  be  used, 
and  the  fioiit  be  carefully  selected  and  taken  only  in  modera- 
tion. In  obesity  it  is  likewise  an  excellent  regime;  the  quan- 
tity of  milk  must  however  be  decidedly  diminished,  and  the 
butter  and  oily  fruits  and  nuts  must  be  eliminated.  Owing  to 
its  favorable  action  upon  injurious  bacterial  intestinal  flora, 
such  a  diet  would  be  beneficial  in  intestinal  aft'ections,  with  a 
careful  selection  of  the  vegetables  and  fruits  to  be  taken.  In 
constipation  it  would  prove  a  sovereign  remedy  which  would 
after  a  short  time  render  all  medicines  superfluous.  In  many 
cases  of  neurasthenia  and  hysteria  it  w^ould  give  brilliant 
results,  if  the  foods  giving  the  greatest  number  of  calories 
were  selected.  Since  such  a  num^ber  of  diseases  are  benefited 
by  this  diet,  healthy  persons  should  profit  even  more  from  it. 
Indeed,  after  having  personally  tried  the  various  modes  of 
diet  during  a  certain  length  of  time,  having  first  eaten  a  great 
deal  of  meat  and  then  only  once  a  day ;  again  for  a  time  only 
vegetables,  then  principally  milk,  then  chiefly  fruits,  I  came  to 
the  conclusion — after  observations  made  upon  others  as  well 
as  upon  myself — that  a  milk-egg-vegetable  diet  is  the  best  and 
at  the  same  time  the  most  rational  for  mankind. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  PRACTICAL  ADVANTAGES  OF  RATIONAL 
FEEDING.    USEFUL  HINTS. 

I.  Foods  Easy  and  Difficult  to  Digest. 

There  are  persons  who'  can,  as  it  were,  digest  pebbles, 
while  others  no  less  healthy  may  suffer  from  indigestion  after 
taking  even  the  most  easily  digested  foods.  There  is  probably 
no  other  organ  as  capricious  as  the  stomach.  We  shall  not 
attempt  here  to  deal  with  the  nervous  influences  and  idiosyn- 
crasies affecting  the  stomach,  but  shall  discuss  only  such  dis- 
turbances as  are  caused  by  the  food  itself.  In  order  that  food 
may  be  easily  digested,  it  must  be  in  such  a  form  as  will  permit 
of  thorough  action  upon  it  by  the  gastric  and  intestinal  juices ; 
thus,  a  gelatinous  substance  like  a  pickled  fish  jelly  is  very 
easily  digested.  When,  however,  there  is  much  connective 
tissue,  as  in  an  old  chicken,  digestion  is  more  difficult;  the 
tough,  hard  meat  of  old  animals,  which  has  so  much  connective 
tissue,  is  much  more  difficult  of  digestion  than  that  of  young 
animals.  Lean  boiled  ham,  being  so  free  from  connective 
tissue,  is  not  only  easily  digested  by  the  stomach,  but  by  the 
intestine  as  well ;  the  digestibility  of  a  food  depends  not  only 
upon  the  readiness  with  which  it  is  tolerated  by  the  stomach, 
but  also  by  the  intestine.  Hard-boiled  eggs  are  digested  with 
difficulty  by  some  stomachs,  and  are  better  assimilated  in  the 
intestine.  Calves'  brains  are  readily  digested  in  the  stomach, 
but  less  so  in  the  intestine,  since,  according  to  Rubner,  about 
43  P^i"  cent,  of  such  brain  substance  remains  unassimilated. 
(350) 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.  351 

The  connective  tissue  in  meat  corresponds  with  the  cellu- 
lose in  vegetables.  A  fine  starchy  food  without  any  such 
material,  e.g.,  tapioca  and  sago,  does  not  impose  any  labor  on 
the  stomach  when  well  masticated,  as  it  is  not  digested  there ; 
such  a  food  does  remain  in  the  stomach  for  some  time,  but  is 
only  really  made  use  of  when  it  reaches  the  intestine.  Thor- 
ough mastication,  as  already  stated,  is  a  prime  necessity  with 
starchy  foods.  A  ripe  banana  is  one  of  the  most  easily  digested 
foods,  when  carefully  masticated  with  the  aid  of  plenty  of 
saliva.  It  is  advisable  to  allow  such  starchy  foods  tO'  remain 
in  the  mouth  for  a  short  time,  during  which  they  should  be 
moved  about  with  the  tongue  and  then  be  carefully  chewed. 
When  hard,  dry  foods  containing  much  cellulose — such  as 
the  cereals,  dried  tubers,  dried  pears,  or  the  black  bread  of  the 
peasants — are  taken,  they  not  only  remain  a  long  time  in  the 
stomach,  which  must  work  hard  to  digest  them,  but  are  besides 
poorly  assimilated  in  the  intestine.  We  have  mentioned  on 
several  occasions  how  much  of  certain  foods  remains  vmutilized 
during  intestinal  digestion.  It  is  not  our  purpose  tO'  deter 
healthy  persons  from  taking  such  foods,  for  it  is,  on  the  con- 
trary, not  inadvisable  occasionally  to  eat  small  quantities  of 
them.  Unfortunately,  the  poor  are  obliged  to  eat  them  daily — 
without,  however,  actually  ruining  their  health  thereby. 

In  addition  to  the  connective  tissue  and  cellulose  content, 
fat — especially  lamb-  and  beef-  fat — also  interferes  w^ith  diges- 
tion, particularly  when  it  surrounds  the  more  easily  digested 
substances.  Fat  lamb  is  very  indigestible.  Dishes  prepared 
with  beef-drippings,  so  much  used  in  England,  are  likewise  not 
at  all  easily  digested.  Goose-fat  is  that  which  melts  most 
readily,  and  butter  comes  next.  Fine  olive  oil  is  well  adapted 
for  cooking ;  foods  prepared  with  it  are  not  indigestible.  Fatty 
fruits  and  those  containing  cellulose,  such  as  hazelnuts  and  old 
walnuts,  are  hard  to  digest. 

The  large  amount  of  free  fatty  acids  and  pungent  sub- 


352  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

stances  contained  in  some  foods,  and  the  acids,  tannin,  and 
ethereal  oils  of  certain  fruits,  may  all  interfere  with  the  diges- 
tion. Following  is  the  list  prepared  by  Penzoldt  showing  the 
digestibility  of  various  foods  : — 

Foods  Remaining  in  the  Stomach  About  Two  Hours: 

100  to  200  grams  of  drinking-water; 

220  grams  of  carbonated  water; 

200  grams  of  coffee,  tea,  beer,  bouillon,  light  wine; 
100  to  200  grams  of  milk; 

100  grams  of  soft-boiled  eggs; 

About  Two  to  Three  Hours: 

200  grams  of  coffee  with  cream,  or  milk  cocoa; 
300 to  500  grams  of  water,  milk,  or  beer; 

100  grams  of  raw,  hard-boiled,  or  fried  eggs; 

200  grams  of  cooked    sweetbreads,    carp,    pike,    or    cod    (including 
dried  cod)  ; 
72  grams  of  cooked  oysters; 

150  grams  of  boiled  asparagus  or  potatoes,  mashed  potatoes,  cher- 
ries (raw  or  steamed)  ; 
70  grams  of  white  bread  or  biscuits; 

About  Three  to  Four  Hours: 

230  grams  of  cooked  chicken  or  partridge; 
220  to  260  grams  of  cooked  squab ; 

195  grams  of  squab,  boiled  or  steamed; 
250  grams  of  boiled  beef; 
160  grams  of  raw  or  boiled  ham; 

100  grams  of  roast  veal  (hot  or  cold),  beefsteak,  roast  beef; 
200  grams  of  boiled  salmon; 
72  grams  of  salted  caviar; 

150  grams  of  black  or  brown  bread,  spinach,  or  kohlrabi,  carrots, 
cucumber  salad,  apples. 

We  may  select  our  foods  from  the  above  list  according  to 
the  condition  of  our  stomachs,  always  giving  the  preference  to 
those  articles  most  easily  digested.  For,  as  was  said  by  a 
Frenchman :  "On  ne  vit  de  ce  qu'on  mange,  mais  de  ce  qu'on 
digere."  (One  does  not  live  by  that  which  one  eats,  but  by 
that  which  one  digests.) 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.  353 

2.  Foods  Causing  Flatulence.     The  Prevention  and  Dietetic 
Treatment  of  Flatulence. 

By  flatulence  we  mean  the  formation  of  gases  in  the  intes- 
tine. They  are  formed  by  the  action  of  bacteria  upon  the  resi- 
due of  the  food  which  has  been  absorbed,  and  particularly  upon 
the  cellulose  contained  therein ;  the  latter  is  then  split  up  into 
volatile  fatty  acids  (butyric  acid,  acetic  acid)  and  into  gases 
(carbon  dioxide,  hydrogen,  and  methane).  The  more  cellulose 
there  is  contained  in  the  food,  the  more  there  is  usually  elimi- 
nated as  residue,  thus  facilitating  the  production  of  such 
cleavage  products.  Consequently,  a  diet  rich  in  cellulose  will 
form  much  gas.  This  may  be  noticed  when  leguminous  vege- 
tables, especially  beans,  have  been  eaten ;  cabbages  also  pro- 
duce the  same  effect,  on  account  of  the  cellulose  and  sulphur 
contained  in  them.  Black  bread,  e.g.,  rye  bread,  also  causes 
considerable  flatulence. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  diet  which  forms  but  little  residue 
may  also  produce  gases  when  certain  bacteria  have  been  intro- 
duced with  it.  Unclean  water,  previously  in  contact  with  a 
slimy  river-bottom,  will  often  cause  discomfort  by  colic  and 
the  formation  of  gas.  I  myself  noticed  this  during  my  stay 
in  Toronto,  in  Canada;  on  drinking  the  water  of  the  large 
lake,  I  was  constantly  troubled  with  gases  and  colic.  The 
same  was  the  case  soon  after,  when  I  was  in  Detroit  and  drank 
the  water  from  Lake  Michigan.  In  both  these  places  I  ex- 
perienced no  such  trouble  when  drinking  pure  mineral  water. 

Mineral  waters  which  are  badly  bottled,  so  that  unclean 
substances  are  mixed  with  them,  may  give  rise  to  the  same 
symptoms.  It  is  necessary,  for  this  reason,  to  make  a  careful 
selection  from  among  such  waters.  Above  all,  it  is  necessary 
that  the  authorities  should  make  a  thorough  investigation  of 
every  mineral  spring  of  which  the  water  is  universally  used, 
as  well  as  of  the  bottling  plants.     Impure  milk,  made  so  by 


354  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

secret  dilution  or  the  inadvertent  admixture  of  any  unclean 
substance,  will  very  frequently  cause  the  development  of  gases. 
Flatulence  may  also  be  noticed  when  large  quantities  of  good 
milk  are  taken. 

Flatulence  very  readily  occurs  when  the  residue  of  the 
food  remains  too  long  in  the  intestine.  The  longer  the  feces 
are  retained  in  the  intestine,  the  longer  the  bacteria  act  upon 
them,  thus  causing  fermentation  and  decomposition.  The 
greatest  number  of  bacteria  is  found  in  the  colon,  and  the  feces 
contained  therein  form  the  most  favorable  nidus  for  them. 

A  plentiful  meat  diet  also  favors  the  formation  of  gases 
when  the  former  contains  much  connective  tissue,  since,  owing 
to  the  large  quantity  of  meat  and  the  resistance  offered  by  the 
connective  tissue,  the  digestive  fluids  are  not  able  to  fully  digest 
it,  and  a  considerable  portion  remains  to  be  subjected  to  the 
action  of  the  bacteria  in  the  colon.  The  longer  it  remains  there, 
the  more  gases  may  be  formed.  In  order  to  prevent  the  forma- 
tion of  gases  it  is  important  that  the  feces  be  expelled  from  the 
intestine  as  soon  as  possible.  Constipation  must  therefore  be 
avoided.  The  means  for  its  avoidance  will  be  considered  else- 
where. 

Persons  having  a  tendency  to  flatulence  should  avoid 
foods  which  contain  much  residual  matter,  such  as  beans,  len- 
tils, and  the  cabbage  varieties,  in  which  not  only  the  cellulose, 
but  also  certain  other  components,  viz.,  sulphur  compounds, 
cause  the  formation  of  gases.  In  the  diet  of  such  persons  all 
indigestible  foods  should  be  avoided  and  care  be  taken  that  the 
diet  be  so  composed  that  its  greater  portion  be  absorbed  in  the 
upper  intestine,  so  that  a  very  small  quantity  will  be  subjected 
to  the  action  of  the  bacteria.  Especially  in  the  case  of  aged 
persons  should  a  careful  choice  of  foods  be  made,  as  in  them 
the  intestines  are  relaxed  and  dilated,  and  the  residue  is  apt  to 
be  retained  in  the  bowel  for  a  longer  time.  We  are  thus,  to  be 
sure,  placed  in  a  dilemma,  as  when  the  food  contains  too  little 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.  355 

refuse  matter  the  residue  will  for  this  reason  remain  too  long 
in  the  intestine.  Such  feces,  however,  are  not  apt  to  cause 
flatulence.  We  must  consequently  endeavor  to  steer  between 
two  cliffs. 

The  foods  causing  the  most  flatulence,  such  as  leguminous 
vegetables,  cabbage,  black  bread,  etc.,  must  of  course  be  elimi- 
nated from  the  diet,  and  when  necessary  milk  must  also  be 
forbidden  or  only  allowed  in  small  quantities.  Care  must  also 
be  taken  that  its  origin  be  irreproachable.  A  diet  easily 
digested  must  be  adhered  to;  it  may  be  composed  of  tender 
meat,  ham,  eggs,  rice,  tapioca,  sago,  fine  white  bread,  zwieback, 
etc.  Potatoes  are  only  allowed  when  mashed,  as  fried  or 
roasted  potatoes  give  rise  to  flatulency.  Bread  made  with  a 
sour  dough  should  be  avoided,  as  in  this  way  large  quantities 
of  bacteria  are  introduced.  Whatever  might  cause  femienta- 
tive  processes  must  be  usually  avoided.  Beer  especially  is 
forbidden.  Tea  or  even  a  little  red  wine  might  be  used  to 
advantage. 

In  the  dietetic  treatment  of  flatulence  a  principal  factor 
is  the  avoidance  of  foods  containing  much  residue.  Although 
such  a  diet  is  useful  in  persons  subject  to  this  disturbance,  it  is 
not  indicated  for  those  in  good  health,  as  it  may  give  rise  to 
constipation.  The  formation  of  a  small  amount  of  gas  is  not 
to  be  regarded  as  an  evil,  since  it  materially  aids  the  movement 
of  the  bowels  and  the  ejection  of  their  contents.  It  is  only  the 
presence  of  excessive  flatulence  which  should  be  combated, 
especially  when  diseases  exist  in  which  the  raising  of  the  dia- 
phragm must  be  prevented,  as  in  heart  aft'ections.  In  many 
cases  of  arteriosclerosis  flatulence,  which  is  frequently  present, 
gives  rise  to  troublesome  effects.  The  best  treatment  for  flatu- 
lence consists  in  the  rational  diet  above  described.  The  best 
preventive  measure  in  conjunction  with  the  same  would  be  that 
all  of  the  food,  and  especially  the  vegetables  and  other  cellu- 
lose-containing substances,  be  most  thoroughly  masticated,  in 


356  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

order  that  no  undigested  portions  reach  the  intestine,  and  there 
form  a  nidus  for  the  development  of  some  of  the  countless 
bacilli  which  are  ingested  from  the  air  or  with  the  saliva  or  in 
the  foods  themselves. 

3.  Laxative  Foods. 

When  one  subsists — as  do  so  frequently  the  well-to-do 
classes,  living  in  luxury — on  chicken,  rice,  mashed  potatoes, 
the  finer  grade  of  green  vegetables,  fine  pastry,  and  white  bread, 
it  is  not  a  matter  for  surprise  that  such  persons  usually  suffer 
from  constipation.  Their  diet  contains  practically  nothing 
capable  of  exercising  the  least  stimulation  for  the  movement 
of  the  bowels.  The  result  is  the  daily  use  of  medicines  and 
the  development  of  a  more  and  more  stubborn  constipation. 
The  inhabitants  of  Carlsbad  should  be  thankful  to  all  such 
people,  for  it  is  they  who  so  greatly  swell  the  number  of 
visitors  to  its  springs.  Once  their  condition  is  improved  they 
soon  fall  back  into  their  former  error,  which  is  truly  a  human 
failing. 

In  this  respect  the  working  classes  are  better  off.  Their 
diet,  which  consists  largely  of  leguminous  vegetables  and  black 
bread  containing  much  residue  and  cellulose,  frees  them  of  this 
accompaniment  of  wealth ;  they  are  rarely  troubled  with  it,  and 
in  those  practising  vegetarianism  it  is  practically  unknown. 
They  have  plenty  of  bowel  movements — too  many,  in  fact ;  so 
they  really  represent  the  other  unpleasant  extreme.  The 
middle  way  is  always  the  best,  i.e.,  a  diet  containing  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  residue — though  not  too  much  of  it — and  capable 
of  insuring  the  assimilation  of  sufficient  food  while  the  bowel 
movements  can  occur  without  trouble. 

A  diet  rich  in  residue  contains  much  cellulose ;  many  green 
vegetable  (fungi)  fruits,  many  of  the  leguminous  vegetables, 
and  some  cereals  furnish  such  a  laxative  diet.     Among  such 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.  357 

are  spinach,  carrots,  green  beans,  sauerkraut,  and  the  cabbages ; 
the  leguminous  vegetables — beans,  peas,  lentils — oat  and  rye 
bread  (black  bread),  dried  fruits,  plums,  cherries,  grapes,  pine- 
apple, etc.,  all  act  upon  the  bowels.  In  the  vegetables  it  is 
not  only  the  cellulose  content,  but  also  other  substances  con- 
ducive to  fermentation  and  the  formation  of  gas,  which  excite 
the  intestine  to  increased  activity.  In  fruits  the  high  sugar 
content  and  the  organic  acids  are  active  in  this  respect.  We 
have  fully  described  the  special  action  and  properties  of  these 
foods,  and  must  now  refer  the  reader  to  the  respective  chapters 
concerning  them.  Care  should  be  taken  to  have  certain  fruits 
and  other  foods  well  represented  in  the  diet.  At  breakfast,  in 
the  spring,  a  certain  quantity  of  cherries,  all  the  year  round 
honey,  and  certain  fruit  marmalades  may  be  used.  Among  the 
latter,  according  to  my  experience,  pineapple,  fig,  and  orange 
marmalade,  plum  butter,  etc.,  exert  a  good  action.  At  noon, 
spinach  or  some  others  of  the  above-mentioned  vegetables; 
every  day,  both  at  noon  and  in  the  evening,  stewed  fruit,  such 
as  rhubarb,  cherries,  grapes,  figs,  or  dried  plums.  On  retiring, 
fresh  cherries,  when  they  are  to  be  had ;  otherwise,  4  or  5  dried 
California  prunes,  previously  soaked  three  to  four  hours  in 
water,  so  that  the  skin  may  l^e  removed  before  they  are  eaten. 
With  a  good  digestion  they  may  be  eaten  with  the  skins,  as 
they  are  then  even  more  active.  On  rising,  a  glass  of  cold 
water,  and,  a  little  later,  i  or  2  fresh  oranges.  Before  break- 
fast, >4  or  I  orange  or  a  grapefruit  (pampelmus).  The  drink- 
ing of  milk — from  healthy  cows — and  especially  of  sour  milk, 
kefir,  and  jogurt,  may  also  give  excellent  results.  Plenty  of 
exercise  is  a  requisite.  As  we  thus  see,  there  are  so  many 
dietetic  agents  that  recourse  to  injurious  medicinal  substances 
is  unnecessary.  The  feces  consist  largely  of  residues  which 
excite  the  intestines ;  if  we  wish  to  have  the  bowels  moved,  we 
must  ingest  in  our  food,  as  mentioned  above,  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  slags  or  residue. 


358  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

4.  Remarks  Concerning  the  Prevention  and  Dietetic  Treatment 
of  Gout.    List  of  Foods  Forming  Uric  Acid. 

When  anyone  has  eaten  plentifully  of  meat  during  many 
years,  he  can  very  easily  become  gouty.  Indeed,  among  such 
persons,  especially  those  who  lead  a  sedentary  life  and  have 
inherited  a  predisposition  to  this  trouble,  very  many  will  be 
found  suffering  from  gout.  It  is,  of  course,  true  that  one  may 
ingest  daily  large  amounts  of  uric-acid-forming  foods — among 
which  meat  is  one  of  those  heading  the  list — without  becoming 
afflicted  with  gout,  provided  the  kidneys  carry  out  their  func- 
tions properly.  As  I  have  stated  in  my  earlier  works,  gout  is 
the  result  of  two  principal  factors,  the  first  being  a  diseased 
condition  of  the  kidneys,  with  consequent  lessening  of  their 
functional  activity,  and  the  second  an  increased  formation  of 
uric  acid  in  the  body  or  greater  intake  of  this  substance  in  the 
food.  Retention  of  uric  acid  in  the  body  through  diminished 
activity  of  the  kidneys  is  thus  the  cause  of  the  disease.  The 
alterations  in  the  kidneys  may  be  of  a  secondary  nature,  result- 
ing from  primary  changes  in  the  thyroid  gland, — in  which 
connection  it  should  be  noted  that  the  thyroid  gland  itself  may 
be  a  predisposing  factor  in  gout,  inasmuch  as  when  this  gland 
is  degenerated  more  uric  acid  may  be  formed  and  gouty  symp- 
toms occur  with  great  frequency ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
administration  of  thyroid  preparations  in  these  conditions,  as 
I  have  often  had  occasion  to  observe,  will  cause  an  increased 
elimination  of  uric  acid.  The  liver  also  plays  an  important 
role  in  the  development  of  gout.  A  considerable  amount  of 
uric-acid-forming  substances  may  be  taken  with  impunity  when 
they  are  properly  eliminated,  that  is  to  say,  when  the  kidneys 
are  active.  Where  this  is  not  the  case,  however,  one  may  have 
an  attack  of  gout  when  but  very  little  of  the  uric-acid-forming 
substances  have  been  taken,  and  in  some  instances  a  gouty 
attack  may  even  occur  when  no  such  substances  have  been 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.  359 

taken;  this  would  be  due  to  an  increased  formation  of  uric 
acid  in  the  body, — the  "endogenous"  uric  acid.  This  is  fre- 
quently the  case  in  lead  poisoning  and  in  all  conditions  where 
nuclein-containing  substances  are  destroyed  in  the  body. 

From  the  above  it  follows  that  the  action  of  the  kidneys 
should  be  favored  and  improved  in  every  possible  way ;  this  is 
especially  necessary  in  advanced  age  or  when  old  age  is  ap- 
proaching, with  the  changes  in  the  kidneys  and  ductless  glands 
in  general  frequently  occurring  at  this  period,  and  explains  the 
great  prevalence  of  gout  in  the  aged.  In  these  cases  all  sub- 
stances having  an  injurious  effect  upon  the  kidneys — especially 
condiments — must  be  eliminated  from  the  diet.  We  would  call 
attention  to  the  chapters  in  which  this  subject  has  been  dis- 
cussed in  our  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred."  We  might  here 
mention  that  strong  spices  will  sometimes  give  rise  to-  an  at- 
tack of  gout  in  gouty  patients.  The  activity  of  the  kidneys 
may,  in  addition  to  a  milk  and  vegetable  diet,  be  further  in- 
creased by  certain  diuretic  mineral  waters,  such  as  the  Salvator, 
Biliner,  Contrexeville,  Evian,  Giesshiibler,  Krondorfer,  etc. 
All  the  uric-acid-forming  foods,  i.e.,  those  with  purin  bases  in 
general,  must  be  excluded  from  the  diet.  Meat  in  particular, 
and  especially  that  of  glandular  organs  such  as  the  pancreas 
(sweetbread),  liver,  kidneys,  etc.;  also  certain  varieties  of  fish 
and  leguminous  vegetables,  beans  especially,  and  all  spices, 
should  be  prohibited.  Alcohol  must  be  strictly  avoided;  like- 
wise tea  and  coffee,  as  the  latter,  according  to  the  labors  of 
Haig,  Walker  Hall,  Umber,  Schittenhelm,  and  others,  contain 
considerable  quantities  of  uric-acid-forming  substances.  The 
milk-egg-vegetable  diet  (together  with  exclusion  of  leguminous 
vegetables)  is  thus  the  best  for  the  prevention  and  treatment 
of  gout.  Milk  and  its  products,  most  varieties  of  cheese,  eggs, 
caviar,  cereals,  various  flours,  with  the  exception  of  that  of 
oats — as  oats  contain  purin  bases,  0.02 1  per  cent,  in  the  flour — 
and  also  a  large  number  of  green  vegetables,  are  all  free  of 


360  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

purin  bodies  or  contain  them  only  in  small  amount.  This  may 
be  observed  in  the  subjoined  list;  gouty  patients  should  there- 
fore, if  possible,  limit  themselves  to  the  foods  above  named. 
I  might  still  add,  however,  that,  as  I  have  already  stated  in 
earlier  works,  there  is  probably  a  difference  between  animal 
and  vegetable  purin  bases  in  regard  to  their  effects  in  the  body, 
just  as  vegetable  albumin  causes  less  secretion  of  sugar  in  dia- 
betes than  the  animal  varieties.  Fish  would  no  doubt  be  better 
tolerated  than  meat.  A  list  of  various  foods  and  their  content 
of  purin  bases,  after  Bessau  and  Schmidt,  is  on  the  next  page. 
As  with  tea  and  coffee,  alcohol  should  be  only  very 
sparingly  used  by  gouty  patients  even  in  the  intervals  between 
the  attacks.  A  light  white  wine  would,  however,  not  be  in- 
jurious. While  the  stronger  varieties  of  wine  may  in  certain 
quantities  bring  on  mild  attacks,  one  is  not  insured  against 
them  even  when  the  greatest  moderation  is  exercised.  Natu- 
rally, the  danger  is  increased  if  one  is  imprudent  in  the  matter 
of  eating  and  drinking.  Thus,  Sydenham,  "the  English  Hip- 
pocrates," spoke  truly  when  he  said:  "When  you  drink  wine, 
you  get  the  gout;  when  you  do  not  drink  it,  you  also  get  it." 

5.  Practical  Hints  for  the  Prevention  and  Treatment  of 
Obesity.     Dietetic  Measures. 

In  order  to  fatten  a  goose  it  is  kept  in  a  dark  place,  in  a 
small  cage  in  which  it  cannot  well  move  about,  and  stuffed 
with  food,  a  procedure  which  is  resorted  to  in  Alsace,  Belgium, 
etc.  In  some  places  they  even  go  so  far  as  to  fasten  down  the 
feet  so  as  to  prevent  all  motion.  Geese  treated  in  this  way  get 
very  large,  and  the  liver  especially  becomes  exceedingly  fat. 
When  anyone  eats  a  great  deal,  particularly  of  very  nourishing 
substances — as  is  the  case  with  geese,  which  absorb  fats,  car- 
bohydrates, and  albumin  in  their  corn,  and  these  substances  are 
better  assimilated  than  is  the  case  in  man — he  will  grow  fat. 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding. 


361 


In  100  erams  of 


Beef    

Veal    

Lamb    

Pork    

Boiled  ham    

Brunswick    sausage    . . . 

Blood  pudding    

Brain    

Liver    

Kidneys   

Calves'   sweetbread    

Chicken    

Squab   

Goose   

Venison    

Pheasant    

Bouillon,    100   grams    of 
beef,  boiled  two  hours. 

Fish. 

Haddock   

Eel    

Cod 

Salmon    

Carp   

Perch   

Pike    

Herring   

Trout    

Sprat    

Sardine    

Lobster    

Oysters    

Kaviar    

Hens*  eggs   

Milk  and  Cheese. 

Milk   

Edam  cheese   

Swiss  cheese   


0.037 
0.038 
0.026 
0.045 
0.025 
0.010 

0.028 
0.093 
0.080 
0.330 
0.029 
0.058 
0.033 
0.039 
0.034 

0.015 


0.039 
0.027 
0.038 
0.024 
0.054 
0.045 
0.048 
0.064 
0.056 
0.082 
0.020 
0.020 
0.029 


In  100  grams  of 


Limburger    

Gervais    

Cream  cheese    

Milk  cheese    

Leguminous    Vegetables. 

Fresh    peas    eaten    with 

pods    

Peas    

Lentils    

Beans   

Vegetables. 

Cucumbers    

Salad    

Radishes    

Cauliflower  

Spinach    

White  cabbage    

Carrots    

Kale    

Rampion    

Kohlrabi    

Celery    

Asparagus    

Onions   

String  beans    

Potatoes    

Fungi. 

Boletus  bulbosus 

Cantharellus  infundibuli- 

formis  

Mushrooms    

Morchella  elata 

All   fruits    

Cereals  

Bread    

Pumpernickel    


362  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

This  can  be  avoided,  however,  by  taking  plenty  of  exercise, 
and  it  is  not  very  hkely  to  occur  when  there  is  not  a  predis- 
position to  becoming  stout.  The  foods  which  contain  a  great 
deal  of  fat  not  inclosed  in  cells,  but  free  and  ready  to  be 
absorbed,  are  those  which  chiefly  increase  the  body  fat,  such 
as  butter,  oil,  etc.  The  carbohydrates,  sweet  foods,  candies 
and  sweets  of  all  sorts,  are  also'  fat  producers,  because  large 
quantities  of  sugar  are  absorbed  in  them.  In  pastry  and 
farinaceous  foods  this  is  especially  the  case  when  they  can  be 
readily  absorbed  like  tapioca  and  sago,  in  which  the  absorption 
and  the  taking  up  into  the  blood  are  not  interfered  with  by  any 
cellulose.  The  fat  formation  is  increased  when  carbohydrates 
and  fats  are  taken  together,  and  particularly  when  in  combina- 
tion with  alcohol.  Obesity  is  sure  to  occur  when  plenty  of 
meat  is  also  used.  When  only  a  small  quantity  of  meat  or  of 
albumin  is  taken,  obesity  is  not  apt  to  occur.  True  vegetarians 
scarcely  ever  grow  fat,  but  this  is  more  likely  to  occur,  accord- 
ing to  my  experience,  when  a  milk-egg-vegetable  diet  is  used. 
No  matter  how  large  the  quantity  of  meat,  it  will  probably  not 
cause  excessive  fat;  on  the  contrary,  with  a  diet  consisting 
largely  or,  rather,  almost  entirely  of  meat,  a  decrease  of  fat 
will  occur,  as  is  shown  by  the  obesity  cures.  When,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  is  a  sufficient  quantity  of  meat,  viz.,  albumin, 
in  the  diet,  and  plenty  of  starchy  foods  and  fats  are  also  taken, 
then  obesity  is  apt  to  occur.  This  shows  that  the  quantity  of 
albumin,  especially  that  contained  in  meat  and  eggs,  must  be 
diminished  in  the  diet.  When  little  meat  is  eaten,  more  car- 
bohydrates, i.e.,  farinaceous  foods,  may  be  absorbed.  Other- 
wise, they,  and  especially  milk,  cheese,  fatty  foods,  and  butter, 
are  strictly  to  be  avoided.  Sweets  and  alcohol  are  never  al- 
lowed. The  carbohydrates  may  be  preferably  given  when 
ingested  in  foods  containing  much  cellulose,  as,  for  instance, 
the  leguminous  vegetables,  as  they  are  then  not  so  well  assimi- 
lated.   In  order  that  there  shall  be  no  hunger,  and  consequently 


Practical  Advantages  of  Rational  Feeding.  363 

no  desire  for  more  nutritious  foods,  it  is  customary,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  treatment  of  obesity,  to  allay  the  hunger  by 
such  foods  as  contain  but  little  carbohydrate  and  plenty  of 
cellulose,  and  are  likewise  bulky,  such  as  sauerkraut,  certain 
kinds  of  fruit,  all  vegetables,  rye  bread,  and  pumpernickel.  In 
this  way  the  patient  lives  upon  foods  which  are  not  fat  pro- 
ducers, and  yet  has  plenty  in  the  stomach.  The  best  dietetic 
treatment  as  well  as  the  most  certain  preventive  of  excessive 
fat  is,  in  my  opinion,  a  diet  of  this  kind,  without  milk  or  eggs. 
If  this  diet  is  not  helpful,  as  in  cases  where  there  is  a  constitu- 
tional obesity,  due  to  alterations  in  the  thyroid  gland,  the 
ovaries,  or  other  ductless  glands,  either  acquired  or  inherited, 
then  the  best  treatment  is  by  means  of  tablets  of  thyroid  extract 
and,  in  the  case  of  women,  ovarian  extract  as  well.  When  the 
obesity  is  due  to  overnutrition  I  have  often  seen  good  results 
after  treatment  with  thyroid  extract,  which  is,  in  my  opinion, 
the  most  satisfactory  in  obesity.  According  tO'  my  many 
observations — even  some  upon  myself — I  do  not  consider  it 
at  all  injurious,  if  the  patient  is  carefully  watched  by  a  physi- 
cian who  is  familiar  with  the  effects  of  ductless-gland  prep- 
arations. 


6.  Concerning  Fattening  Foods.    Fattening  Treatment. 

When  anyone  wishes  to  grow  stout  he  will  do'  well  to 
ignore  all  that  has  been  said  in  the  preceding  article  on  obesity. 
That  which  principally  causes  obesity  will  be  well  adapted  for 
him.  Milk  and,  particularly,  cream  and  butter  are  easily 
digested  and  readily  assimilated  fatty  foods.  In  my  own  ex- 
perience I  can  say  that  I  have  not  met  with  a  single  case  in 
which  I  was  not  able  to  increase  the  weight  of  the  patient  when 
using  large  quantities  of  the  good  rich  milk  which  I  have  at  my 
disposal  here  in  Carlsbad,  together  with  cheese  and  an  ample 
quantity  of  meat  and  carbohydrates. 


364  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

Rich  milk  is  well  adapted  for  a  fattening  treatment,  and 
is  best  when  mixed  with  cream,  as  I  am  in  the  habit  of  doing ; 
I  also  order  cream  to-  be  taken  with  zwieback,  and  plenty  of 
butter  on  white  bread  or  zwieback, — also  4  to  6  eggs  daily ;  fat 
meats,  such  as  goose,  duck,  pork,  and  fat  chickens — when  two 
kinds  of  meat  are  eaten  at  midday,  the  lean  meat  should  be 
first  eaten  and  afterward  the  more  fatty  one — together  with 
tapioca  or  rice.  For  those  who  are  fond  of  potatoes,  they  may 
be  prepared  as  a  schmarren,  then  some  flour  food  with  plenty 
of  sugar  and  cream ;  ^  of  a  liter  of  dark  Bavarian  beer  or  a 
little  sherry,  port,  or  Malaga  wine  (such  patients  are  often  con- 
valescents after  some  exhausting  disease,  or  persons  predis- 
posed to  tuberculosis,  etc.).  Instead  of  beer  or  wine,  milk 
would  be  more  healthful  and  fattening.  To  improve  the  taste 
of  the  milk,  and  make  it  even  more  fattening,  the  yolk  of 
an  tgg  and  two  teaspoonfuls  of  cream  may  be  added  to  each 
glassful.  I  find  it  very  advantageous  when  a  handful  of 
raisins  or  currants  and  i  or  2  pieces  of  dried  banana  are  taken 
after  the  midday  and  evening  meal.  They  are.  readily  toler- 
ated and  very  fattening. 

From  I  to  i^  liters  of  milk  and  5^  liter  of  cream  should 
be  taken  daily  in  the  manner  above  described.  At  each  meal 
plenty  of  butter  should  be  eaten,  and  at  noon  and  in  the  evening 
cream  cheese  (Gervais).  In  persons  who  tolerate  milk  v^^ell, 
fattening  treatment  is  invariably  successful  when  a  combina- 
tion of  foods  as  described  above  is  made  use  of  daily.  In  the 
intervals  between  meals  it  is  not  advisable  to  take  anything 
except  milk,  perhaps  mixed  with  a  little  cream,  and  a  single 
piece  of  zwieback.  I  lay  great  stress  upon  the  use  of  raisins, 
dates,  figs,  or  dried  bananas,  and  chocolate  at  the  end  of  the 
meals.  I  find  that  dried  currants  and  seedless  raisins  are  better 
tolerated  than  the  other  dried  tropical  fruits,  except  perhaps 
the  banana.  Little  exercise  should  be  taken,  but  the  patients 
should  be  in  the  open  air  (in  the  shade)  as  much  as  possible. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HINTS  FOR  THOSE  OBLIGED  TO  TAKE  THEIR  MEALS  IN 

RESTAURANTS.    THE  INJURIOUS  EFFECTS  OF  THE 

'•TABLE  D'HOTE"  DIET. 

He  who,  like  the  author,  is,  as  a  bachelor,  so  unfortunate 
as  to  be  obliged  always  to  eat  in  restaurants,  and  during  the 
winter  when  on  long  journeys  must  visit  the  hotels  of  various 
countries,  can  surely  expatiate  on  his  experiences.  It  is  not  at 
all  surprising  that  bachelors,  as  I  have  already  stated  in  my 
book  on  "Old  Agt  Deferred,"  are  doomed  to  a  short  life,  for, 
as  we  shall  now  see,  they  are  subjected  to  a  series  of  injurious 
experiences  which  may  be  of  considerable  importance.  That 
cats  and  dogs  must  masquerade  as  rabbits  and  other  game  in 
the  diet  list  is  in  itself  repulsive  enough,  and  leaves  an  un- 
pleasant after-taste  in  the  mouth  of  the  lover  of  legitimate 
game,  but  the  nutritive  value  of  the  meat  itself  is  not  dimin- 
ished for  those  who  are  subjected  to  this  martyrdom  of  the 
unfortunate  animals.  When  this  sort  of  "game"  is  fresh  and 
is  well  prepared,  and  does  not  have  a  sauce  made  with  bad, 
rancid  butter,  no  damage  will,  as  a  general  thing,  result  for 
the  stomach  and  intestine  of  the  consumer.  We  have,  how- 
ever, already  referred  to  the  fact  that  injurious  effects  may 
follow  after  eating  the  meat  of  animals  having  become  satu- 
rated with  secretions  thrown  out  through  fright  previous  to 
the  death  of  the  animal. 

That  the  meat  of  such  animals  is  actually  made  use  of  in 
the  kitchens  of  establishments  of  a  very  inferior  order — and 
sometimes  even  in  those  of  a  rather  better  grade — in  many 

(365) 


366  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

large  cities  is  proven  by  the  court  trials,  when  such  "hunters" 
are  captured  with  the  products  of  their  chase — dead  cats  and 
dogs — which  they  have  in  their  bags  and  are  offering  for  sale 
(as  I  recently  read  in  a  foreign  newspaper).  It  is,  indeed, 
much  better  when  we  simply  devote  our  attention  to  our  food 
without  attempting  to  study  details  as  to  its  origin.  I  greatly 
fear  that  not  only  I,  but  also  a  great  many  others,  would  then 
be  minus  their  psychic  gastric  juice,  and  the  food  would  conse- 
quently lie  longer  and  heavier  on  our  stomachs.  With  very 
sensitive  and  nervous  persons  the  food  would  leave  the  stomach 
by  the  way  it  had  entered,  if  its  origin  and  consequent  treat- 
ment were  to  be  made  known  to  them  immediately  after  its 
ingestion.  How  fortunate  it  is  that  we  are  kept  in  ignorance ! 
The  poet  says :  "Der  Mensh  versuche  die  Gotter  nicht  und 
begehre  nimmer  zu  schauen,  was  sie  gnadig  bedecken,  mit 
Nacht  und  Grauen."  (Man  must  not  question  the  gods  and 
ask  to  see  that  which  they  have  kindly  covered  with  the  shades 
of  night.)  What  would  many  a  delicate  and  fastidious  lady 
say  if  she  knew  that  the  most  juicy  and  fragrant  strawberries 
are  those  which  have  been  grown  when  the  very  fattest  cow- 
dung  and  perhaps  even  human  excrements — as  is  done  in  some 
European  countries — have  been  spread  over  the  strawberry 
beds  ?  When  the  rain  falls  the  salts  contained  in  this  manure 
are  carried  into  the  earth,  to  be  again  taken  up  by  the  straw- 
berries, which  thus  develop  into  the  very  finest  berries. 

As  stated  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  even  in  the  matter  of 
human  foods,  the  lowest  shall  become  the  highest,  and  when 
we  eat  the  meat  of  a  well-fattened  ox  we  absorb  from  this 
meat  the  salts  which  the  animal  obtained  from  the  vegetable 
food  eaten  by  it ;  the  plant  again  thrives  best  upon  the  manure 
furnished  by  the  evacuations  of  animals  and  of  man,  and  by 
the  excrements  of  birds — sent  from  Chili  and  Peru.  The  meat 
of  the  fat  pig  is  also  formed  from  substances  with  which  we 
had  better  not  busy  ourselves  too  much.     Nothing  is  lost  in 


Hints  for  Those  Taking  their  Meals  in  Restaurants.     367 

this  world,  and  there  exists  an  everlasting  circle  which  carries 
the  salts  coming  from  man  into  the  earth,  from  the  earth  into 
the  plant,  and  from  the  plant  again  to  man,  either  directly  or 
through  the  intermediary  of  the  ox  or  the  sheep. 

While  therefore  for  esthetic  reasons  we  would  do  better 
not  to  enter  too  deeply  into  the  question  as  to  the  remote 
material  of  which  our  food  is  composed,  we  nevertheless  have 
every  reason,  in  consideration  of  our  health,  to  acquaint  our- 
selves as  far  as  possible  with  the  food  substances  furnished  to 
us  and  prepared  in  the  restaurant  kitchen.  We  will  proceed 
most  safely  if  we  give  the  preference  to  such  foods  which  show 
by  their  appearance  just  what  they  are,  viz.,  meats  roasted 
upon  the  spit,  or,  at  all  events,  such  as  are  not  covered  by  a 
crust  or  a  thick  sauce  in  order  to  hide  their  defects.  It  is 
impossible  to  say  what  may  be  beneath  such  a  crust  or  thick 
cream  sauce  in  certain  restaurants  of  a  very  low  order,  or  what 
kind  of  meat  has  been  used  in  some  of  the  dishes  in  which  it 
is  very  finely  chopped.  Very  often  one  fares  badly  with  the 
sauce  or  gravy  which  covers  the  meat,  and  it  not  infrequently 
happens  that  in  some  of  the  cheapest  places  the  butter  used  for 
cooking  is  not  irreproachable ;  rancid  butter  gives  rise  to  many 
digestive  disturbances.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  the  pro- 
prietor, who  must  also  make  some  profit,  cannot,  when  the 
meal  is  furnished  at  a  very  low  price,  provide  the  best  and  most 
expensive  foodstuffs.  Especially  w'hen  traveling,  and  at  large 
public  festivals  where  many  thousands  of  people  frequent  the 
restaurants,  it  frequently  happens  that  the  health  is  seriously 
affected  by  defective  foods.  It  is  therefore  wiser  to  provide 
one's  self  with  the  necessary  food  at  some  familiar  place  and 
to  eat  this  fresh  and  cold.  It  is  usually  much  the  best  plan  to 
eat  at  some  well-known  restaurant,  and  where  one  is  also 
known ;  one  should  as  much  as  possible  eat  in  the  same  estab- 
lishment, and  not  change  about  from  place  to  place.  In 
Austria-Hungary  one  generally  finds  very  good  cooking  every- 


368  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

where;  the  coffee  especially  is  always  good.  This,  unfor- 
tunately, is  not  the  case  in  Germany,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
in  that  country  it  is  the  custom  to  take  the  meals  at  a  fixed 
price,  whereas  in  Austria-Hungary  one  almost  always  eats 
a  la  carte,  selecting  what  one  wishes  and  having  it  freshly  pre- 
pared. The  bills  of  fare  in  Germany  frequently  consist  of 
large  quantities  of  meat,  but  its  quality  as  well  as  that  of  the 
rest  of  the  foods  in  the  beer  taverns  often  leaves  much  to  be 
desired.  In  the  wine  restaurants  in  Germany  the  food  is  ex- 
cellent. What  is  to  be  done,  however,  by  those  who  do  not 
wish  to  drink  wine?  Fortunately,  we  are  not  thus  compelled 
to  drink  wine  in  Austria-Hungary.  One  can  eat  there  at  the 
finest  hotels  and  take  simply  a  glass  of  beer  or  a  small  bottle  of 
mineral  water.  Whenever  possible,  we  should  not  eat  food 
which  is  ready,  but  should  select  something  which  will  be 
freshly  prepared. 

With  regard  to  some  of  the  vegetarian  restaurants  I  can- 
not, according  to  my  personal  experience,  give  a  very  good 
account.  Their  device,  unfortunately,  seems  to  be  "cheap  and 
plenty."  The  result  for  the  stomach  may  be  imagined.  In 
Germany  especially  it  is  very  difficult  to  find  in  certain  cities 
a  vegetarian  restaurant  of  a  finer  class  where  the  above  prin- 
ciple does  not  seem  to  be  the  chief  one.  The  fault,  to  be  sure, 
does  not  lie  with  the  restaurant,  but  with  the  public.  For  as 
long  as  vegetarianism  continues  to  be  principally  followed  by 
the  poorer  classes  it  will  be  difficult  to  establish  first-class 
vegetarian  restaurants  with  a  selection  of  finer  vegetarian 
foods,  choice  fresh  vegetables  and  fruits.  It  would  be  well  if 
the  owners  of  vegetarian  restaurants  would  first  have  to  pass 
an  examination  in  cooking;  in  fact,  this  should  be  required 
of  all  hosts  by  the  authorities.  In  vegetarianism  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  science  of  cooking  is  a  prime  requisite ;  other- 
wise, the  nutritive  content  of  the  foods  will  not  be  properly 
made  use  of.    In  the  large  German  cities  there  are  some  really 


Hints  for  Those  Taking  their  Meals  in  Restaurants.    369 

good  vegetarian  restaurants.  I  found  one  of  this  kind  in 
Leipzig  (Pomona),  where  the  cooking  is  very  good;  the  same 
may  be  said  of  the  Pomona  restaurants  in  Holland,  with  one 
of  which,  that  at  the  Hague,  I  am  familiar.  In  Belgium  there 
is  also  a  series  of  good  vegetarian  restaurants,  but  the  finest 
and  most  luxurious  vegetarian  cuisine  is  to  be  found  in  London 
and  Manchester. 

When  we  consider  what  great  damage  may  be  done  in 
regard  to  public  welfare  by  restaurants  of  an  inferior  order — 
leaving  aside  the  question  of  the  often  very  insanitary  build- 
ing conditions — it  would  certainly  be  justifiable  tO'  have  all 
restaurants  inspected  once  or  twice  a  year  by  an  authorized 
commission,  an  arrangement  which  would  probably  not  be 
objected  to  in  the  least  by  establishments  of  the  better  classes. 
It  would  be  of  the  greatest  benefit  for  the  public  health  if  the 
authorities  would  look  strictly  into  the  question  as  to^  what 
really  is  brewed  in  the  ''witch  kitchens"  of  the  lowest  order  for 
the  poor,  hard-working  people.  Since  such  a  commission 
exists  for  the  inspection  of  drug-stores,  in  order  to  test  the 
remedies  which  are  sold  to  the  sick,  I  see  no  reason  why  it 
should  not  likewise  be  seen  to  that  nothing  which  would  impair 
the  health  should  be  sold  to  those  who  are  well.  In  this  con- 
nection, I  am  especially  desirous  of  calling  attention  to  the 
serious  injury  which  may  be  done  to  our  health  when  falsified 
foods,  sometimes  containing  strong  injurious  drugs,  are  put 
before  us.  The  food  chemists,  by  revealing  these  frauds,  are 
rendering  incalculable  service,  and  we  are  surely  not  saying 
too  much  in  stating  that  the  average  length  of  life  of  the  people 
depends  in  great  measure  upon  them.  I  would  again  partic- 
ularly emphasize  the  fact — as  I  have  already  done  several 
times  in  this  work — that  the  deleterious  effects  of  these  injuri- 
ous, falsified  foods  do  not  at  once  become  evident — and  this 
is  just  the  source  of  the  danger — but  slowly  and  stealthily  cause 
degeneration  of  some  of  our  principal  organs,  especially  the 


370  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

kidneys,  thus  shortening  our  lives.  And  what  of  the  punish- 
ment for  such  an  offense?    It  is  ridiculously  slight. 

When  anyone  does  a  person  an  injury  he  is  frequently 
punished  by  imprisonment  during  a  number  of  months,  but 
when  anyone  injures  not  only  one  but  a  very  great  number  of 
persons — and  this  in  an  underhand  way — by  means  of  spoiled 
and  falsified  foods  preserved  with  injurious  substances,  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  undermine  the  health  for  months  and  perhaps 
even  years,  and  thereby  shortening  life,  he  is  punished  in 
Austria-Hungary  by  a  fine  of  lOO  kronen !  And  yet  several 
crimes  are  here  combined :  premeditated,  underhand  bodily 
injury;  deceit,  falsification — all  with  the  object  of  gain — and 
this  not  only  in  respect  to  one  person,  but  to  innumerable 
people.  The  proper  punishment  for  the  falsification  of  foods 
would  be  an  average  of  the  punishments  meted  out  for  the 
various  crimes  above  mentioned. 

The  owners  of  eating-houses  and  restaurants  are,  to  be 
sure,  helpless  in  the  hands  of  these  falsifiers.  The  best  remedy 
would  be  the  enactment  of  a  law  making  it  obligatory  to  state, 
in  regard  to  every  food  substance :  ( i )  whether  it  is  abso- 
lutely pure;  (2)  what  admixtures  it  contains,  and,  if  possible, 
also  the  quantity  thereof.  The  substitution  of  one  food  for 
another  and  the  selling  under  a  false  name  should  also  be 
prohibited. 

Eating  in  restaurants  may  also  have  an  injurious  effect 
because  very  often  too  many  foods  are  ofifered,  especially  at 
"table  d'hote"  meals  with  a  long  menu.  In  hotels  of  an 
inferior  order  it  not  infrequently  happens  that  on  the  menu 
meats  are  served  which  were  left  over  from  the  previous  day. 
Even  in  the  very  finest  hotels  the  "table  d'hote"  with  its  end- 
less menu  is  always  a  serious  danger  for  the  health,  even 
when  the  foods  are  well  prepared  and  the  taste  is  good — in 
fact,  perhaps  for  this  very  reason.  There  are,  unfortunately, 
very  few  persons  having  sufficient  strength  of  will  not  to  eat 


Hints  for  Those  Taking  their  Meals  in  Restaurants.     371 

a  series  of  good  appetizing  foods  placed  before  them,  especially 
when  they  have  "paid  out  their  good  money."  When  anyone 
lives  in  a  fine  hotel  on  the  Riviera  and  is  given  for  lunch  2  or  3 
dishes  of  fish  and  meat,  and  for  dinner  in  the  evening  3  or  4 
kinds  of  fish  and  meat,  very  often  including  some  game  (even 
in  the  spring),  it  can  readily  be  understood  how  greatly  all  the 
principles  advocated  in  this  work  are  being  sinned  against. 
That  such  unrestrained  "rapacity"  does  actually  shorten  life 
when  long  continued  is  not  to  be  doubted.  It  is  therefore 
indicated  to  eat  a  la  carte,  a  habit  which  is  fortunately  quite 
general  here  in  Carlsbad,  and  in  fact  throughout  Austria- 
Hungary  (with  the  exception  of  the  Tyrol).  In  selecting  from 
the  bill  of  fare,  everyone  can  take  just  such  food  as  is  best 
adapted  for  his  constitution  and  his  health  in  general. 

Even  in  the  very  finest  restaurants  one  will  often  not  dine 
as  well  as  at  home,  when  one  has  the  good  fortune  to  be 
married  and  when  the  housewife  herself  selects  the  very  best 
and  freshest  foods  in  tlie  market,  which  are  then  prepared  for 
the  family  table  with  the  most  healthful  and  best  adapted  acces- 
sories. The  above  remarks  go  to  prove  the  correctness  of  the 
statement  made  by  the  author  in  his  work  on  "Old  Age 
Deferred,"  that  a  married  man  will  live  longer  and  remain  in 
better  health  than  a  poor  bachelor. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  INCREASED  ACTIVITY  OF  CERTAIN  FUNCTIONS 
BROUGHT  ABOUT  BY  FOOD. 

I.  Concerning  the  Increase  of  Intellectual  Activity  Brought 
About  by  a  Suitable  Diet. 

That  the  intellectual  capabilities  of  man  are  greatly  in- 
fluenced by  his  food  is  a  truth  which  probably  cannot  be  dis- 
puted by  anyone.  We  see  this  exemplified  in  those  aggrega- 
tions of  people  who  nourish  themselves  in  a  sparing  and 
penurious  way,  and  whose  intelligence  consequently  remains 
of  an  inferior  order.  The  natives  of  the  Bismarck  Archipelago 
and  of  the  Solomon  Islands  furnish  an  'instructive  illustration 
of  this  fact.  As  Thurmwald  has  recently  stated  in  the 
Zeitschrift  fi'ir  Ethnologic,  they  probably  stand  on  the  lowest 
plane  of  intelligence.  Some  of  them  are  not  even  able  to  count 
up  to  twenty.  They  are  so  helpless  that  they  would  prefer  to 
walk  around  a  piece  of  wood  happening  to  lie  in  their  way  than 
to  move  it  away.  According  to  Thurmwald,  they  show  a 
remarkable  slowness  in  thought  association  and  are  totally 
lacking  in  prudence  or  foresight.  Their  food  consists  princi- 
pally of  taro,  a  starchy  flour  on  the  order  of  manioc. 

When,  on  the  other  hand,  we  consider  the  people  who  live 
upon  an  ample  mixed  diet,  with  plenty  of  nitrogenous  foods 
and  much  meat  and  fish — like  the  English  and  Americans — 
w^e  find  them  on  the  average  of  a  high  degree  of  intelligence, 
many  of  them  being  remarkably  gifted :  they  are  possessed  of 
a  wealth  of  creative  ideas  and  practical  inventions,  with  an 
initiative  such  as  is  perhaps  not  possessed  by  any  other  nation. 
(372) 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       373 

We  may  involuntarily  ask  ourselves,  Does  not  this  perhaps 
depend  upon  a  difference  in  the  food  ?  Does  not,  perhaps,  the 
quantity  of  nitrogen  absorbed  in  the  nourishment,  which  is  so 
poorly  represented  in  the  diet  of  the  native  tribes  referred  to 
above,  cause  this  difference?  If  we  consider  the  experiments 
of  Forster  we  must  reply  in  the  negative.  This  observer  fed  a 
dog  upon  meat  which  had  been  thoroughly  soaked  in  water, 
together  with  plenty  of  carbohydrate  and  fatty  foods,  from 
which  the  nutritive  salts  had  been  carefully  extracted.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  the  nutritious  substances,  strictly 
speaking,  were  not  lacking  in  this  food,  a  great  falling  off  of 
the  intelligence  together  with  other  symptoms  of  degeneration 
were  noticed  in  this  dog,  although  he  had  been  having  plenty 
of  nitrogen. 

Something  was  missing  in  the  food — and  this  was  the 
nutrient  salts!  We  must  consequently  ascribe  the  striking 
deterioration  in  intelligence  noted  to  the  absence  of  the  nutri- 
tive salts.  The  question  then  is :  Which  of  the  salts  is  respon- 
sible for  this  ?  It  is  evident  that,  in  the  presence  of  alterations 
of  the  functions  of  the  brain,  we  must  have  to  deal  with  a 
salt  which  exists  in  considerable  quantities  in  the  brain,  for — 
as  has  been  said  so  often  in  this  book — like  begets  like.  If  we 
wish  to  stimulate  the  activity  of  certain  organs  we  must — as 
is  done  when  fertilizing  plants — administer  those  salts  which 
are  contained  in  it  and  which  it  requires.  The  most  important 
of  these  salts  are  those  containing  phosphorus  and  lime, — 
especially  the  first  named,  for  with  it  the  lime  content  can  be 
influenced  and  increased.  That  the  amount  of  phosphorus  con- 
tained in  the  brain  plays  an  important  role  in  the  development 
of  mental  affections  we  have  already  mentioned.  In  idiocy 
and  in  dementia  praecox  Marie  found  a  decrease  of  the  phos- 
phorus in  the  brain.  It  is  a  fact  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  the  portion  of  the  brain  which  plays  such  an  important 
part  in  the  intellectual  processes,  the  gray  matter,  yields,  in  the 


374  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 


ethereal  extract  made  from  it,  more  phosphorus  than  the 
white;  Petrowsky  also  found  in  it  double  the  amount  of  leci- 
thin. Lecithin,  as  is  well  known,  produces  glycerin  and 
phosphoric  acid  when  decomposed.  Phosphorus  is  absorbed 
with  lecithin,  and  the  brain  substance  is  rich  in  phosphorus  and 
lecithin. 

It  is  also  an  observation  of  great  significance,  with  regard 
to  our  powers  of  resistance,  that  wherever  there  is  an  undue 
elimination  of  phosphorus  nervous  and  even  mental  disturb- 
ances occur.  In  some  cases,  as,  for  instance,  in  osteomalacia, 
the  condition  can  be  improved  by  the  administration  of  phos- 
phorus, which  has  a  favorable  effect  upon  calcium  metabolism. 
If  in  some  instances  the  administration  of  phosphorus  produces 
no  effect,  this  must  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that,  while  it  does 
act  favorably  in  making  up  for  the  deficiency  of  phosphorus, 
another  factor  which  is  likewise  of  the  greatest  importance, 
viz.,  increased  activity  of  the  thyroid  gland,  which  regulates 
phosphorus  metabolism,  has  not  been  taken  into  account.  That 
a  pronounced  lack  of  phosphorus  in  their  food  is  responsible 
for  the  very  low  grade  of  intelligence  exhibited  by  the  natives 
of  the  Bismarck  Archipelago — for  their  principal  food,  taro, 
contains  very  little  of  this  substance — is,  according  to  the 
above  statements,  not  unlikely,  just  as  the  great  intelligence 
of  the  English  and  Americans  may  be  ascribed  to  the  large 
amount  of  phosphorus  contained  in  their  food  (they  eat  meat 
three  times  a  day,  together  with  much  fish,  eggs,  and  green 
vegetables).  The  frequency  of  gout  also  stands  in  relation  to 
this  diet.  That  food  which  contains  the  greatest  amount  of 
phosphorus  is  also  the  one  which  is  rich  in  nucleins — uric  acid 
producers.  Animal  foods  are  not  only  rich  in  these  substances, 
but  more  organic  phosphorus  is  also  absorbed  from  them  than 
from  a  vegetable  diet,  since  in  the  latter  the  phosphorus,  owing 
to  the  large  lime  content,  is  eliminated  in  an  insoluble  form 
from  the  intestine. 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       375 

We  must  not  flatter  ourselves  in  the  belief,  however,  that 
we  grow  in  intelligence  when  we  eat  much  meat,  small  fish, 
eggs,  etc.  The  matter  in  question  is  not  quite  so  simple.  The 
effect  as  far  as  we  are  concerned  would  be  about  the  same  as  in 
a  bottomless  barrel.  We  might  take  any  amount  of  phos- 
phorus, and  it  would  simply  pass  through  our  bodies  without 
our  deriving  the  least  benefit  from  it,  if  it  were  not  retained 
by  certain  organs.  One  such  organ  which  has^ — as  we  have 
already  shown — a  governing  influence  upon  the  metabolism 
of  phosphorus  is  the  thyroid  gland.  'For  the  subject  in  ques- 
tion it  is  of  importance  to  note  that  the  intelligence  of  a  person 
depends  upon  the  perfect  action  of  this  organ,  as  I  have  already 
shown,  in  my  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  by  means  of  a 
series  of  experiments.  Suffice  it  for  me  to  state  here  that 
when  the  thyroid  is  degenerated  the  intelligence  is  considerably 
impaired,  or,  indeed,  is  entirely  lacking,  as  in  the  cretin.  When 
such  individuals  are  treated  with  thyroid  extract,  and  when  a 
plentiful  diet  is  also  taken,  the  intelligence  is  greatly  improved; 
in  fact,  wonders  may  be  performed  in  this  direction,  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  thyroid  treatment  improves  the  intelligence 
because  through  its  agency  the  phosphorus  taken  in  with  the 
food  can  be  better  assimilated.  This  opinion  is  undoubtedly 
fully  justified,  according  to  the  above  statement,  as  we  know 
that  the  thyroid  gland  regulates  phosphoric  metabolism. 
Moreover,  I  have  generally  found  evidence  of  a  much  better 
assimilation  of  phosphorus  in  analyzing  the  urine  of  persons 
treated  with  thyroid  extract.  That  the  metabolism  of  calcium 
is  also  increased  is  shown  by  the  astonishingly  rapid  growth  of 
previously  stunted  children.  They  develop  both  in  body  and 
in  mind.  I  have  also  noted  in  adults — in  myself  for  instance, 
as  I  state  in  the  work  already  named — a  very  striking  effect 
upon  the  intelligence,  and  the  memory  in  particular,  when 
thyroid  extract  was  being  taken.  Among  the  cases  in  which  I 
observed  this  effect  I  would  like  to  cite  that  of  a  chemist,  35 


376  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

years  old,  who  while  being"  treated  in  this  way,  in  addition  to 
showing  various  other  indications  of  an  improved  memory, 
was  able  to  recollect  the  word  "Penthatlon,"  which  he  had 
been  trying  in  vain  to  recall  during  many  years.  The  well- 
known  experimenter  with  thyroid  extract,  Hertoghe,  observed 
similar  effects  upon  himself  when  following  such  a  treatment. 

In  consideration  of  all  that  has  been  said  above,  and  in 
Chapter  I,  section  2,  and  Chapter  II,  section  2,  we  are  driven 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  intellectual  capacity  of  man  may  be 
increased  ( i )  by  taking  as  much  as  possible  of  foods  rich  in 
phosphorus,  and  (2)  by  exercising  care  that  the  thyroid  gland, 
upon  which  the  proper  use  and  assimilation  of  the  phosphorus 
are  dependent,  may  be  able  to  carry  on  its  functions  in  a  normal 
manner.  According  to  the  labors  of  Cronheim  and  Muller, 
Schaumann,  and  others,  the  organic  phosphorus  compounds 
are  best  adapted  for  this  purpose — especially  the  nuclein- 
phosphorus-containing  foods,  as  has  been  shown  by  O.  Loewi, 
Schaumann,  and  Jebbink.  It  is  of  primary  importance,  how- 
ever, that  these  foods  be  intelligently  prepared,  and  not  soaked 
or  boiled  out  through  overcooking  at  a  long-continued  high 
temperature,  and  in  this  way  or  by  pressure,  etc.,  deprived  of 
their  important  nutritive  salts.  We  have  already  shown  how 
very  harmful  this  is.  The  foods  rich  in  phosphorus  have 
already  been  mentioned. 

The  activity  of  the  thyroid  gland  may  be  effectually 
stimulated  by  following  certain  dietetic  regulations  which  have 
already  been  referred  to.  We  shall  merely  mention  here  that 
a  certain  amount  of  meat  in  the  diet  may  act  in  this  way; 
roast  meat  is  preferable  to  that  which  has  been  robbed  of  its 
extractives.  Several  other  hygienic  rules  having  nothing  to  do 
with  the  question  of  diet,  and  likewise  the  stimulation  of  the 
activity  of  the  thyroid  gland  by  extracts  of  the  same  gland 
obtained  from  animals,  have  been  emphasized  in  our  above- 
mentioned  work.    Great  care  must  be  exercised  in  such  treat- 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       377 


inent,  however,  for  if  the  thyroid  gland  becomes  overactive 
much  damage  may  be  done.  When,  too,  this  gland  is  not  func- 
tionating adequately,  certain  precautionary  measures  must  be 
observed,  for  which  the  reader  must  be  again  referred  to  my 
work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred." 

The  activity  of  certain  other  ductless  glands  which  also 
greatly  influence  the  phosphoric  metabolism,  i.e.,  the  sexual 
glands,  must  likewise  be  regulated.  When  alterations  have 
occurred  in  these  glands,  psychic  disturbances  will  frequently 
be  observed,  as  at  the  age  of  puberty,  in  pregnancy,  and  at  the 
period  of  the  climacteric.  I  would  also  call  attention  to  the 
very  frequent  psychic  disturbances  in  diseases  of  the  ovaries, 
after  castration,  and  particularly  the  melancholia  of  the  cas- 
trated male,  in  varicocele,  etc.  As  mentioned  in  my  above- 
named  work,  I  found  a  goiter  coexistent  in  several  cases  of 
melancholia  and  dementia  praecox,  as  well  as  alterations  of  the 
thyroid  and  sexual  glands.  This  summer  I  had  occasion  to 
observe  a  very  interesting  case  which  I  shall  publish  in  detail 
later  on.  The  patient  was  a  14-year-old  French  boy  suffering 
from  obesity  and  defective  development  of  the  testicles;  he 
weighed  74  kg.  He  had  the  appearance  of  a  eunuch,  and  his 
intelligence  was  somewhat  impaired — apathetic.  The  testicles 
could  scarcely  be  felt,  and  there  was  almost  no  hair  on  the 
pubis  or  on  the  lip.  I  first  treated  him  with  thyroid,  and  after- 
ward with  testicular  extract.  The  result  was  surprising.  The 
boy  grew  several  centimeters  in  height,  hair  appeared  upon  his 
lip  and  over  the  pubis,  the  testicles  grew  larger,  and  erections 
took  place  at  night  and  also  during  the  day,  while  previously 
there  had  not  been  the  slightest  symptom  of  any  sexual  im- 
pulse. He  was  made  a  man !  The  intelligence  was  developed 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  wanted  to  read  all  day  long  and 
interested  himself  in  problems  of  all  sorts. 

That  the  intelligence  is  greatly  influenced  by  the  sexual 
organs  has  been  demonstrated  in  our  above-mentioned  work, 


378  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

in  which  the  inferior  mental  attributes  of  eunuchs  were  com- 
pared with  those  of  celebrated  men  like  Goethe,  Victor  Hugo, 
and  others,  who  had  a  decided  predilection  for  the  fair  sex. 
Since  thus  the  sexual  glands  also  exert  a  governing  influence 
upon  the  phosphoric  metabolism,  we  are  forced  to  conclude 
that  their  influence  upon  the  intellect  takes  place  just  through 
this  action  upon  the  phosphoric  metabolism,  a  fact  which  will 
probably  not  be  disputed  by  anyone.  The  hypophysis  prob- 
ably also  exerts  a  considerable  influence  on  the  phosphoric 
metabolism,  as  shown  by  the  works  of  Aloracewsky  and  others. 
The  increased  intelligence  cited  by  various  authors  as  occur- 
ring when  there  is  overactivity  of  the  hypophysis — in  patients 
suffering  from  acromegaly — is  remarkable. 

As  a  result  of  the  facts  submitted  above  and  in  Chapter 
I,  section  2,  and  Chapter  II,  section  2,  I  am  led  to  a  therapeutic 
conclusion,  which,  owing  to  its  astonishing  reach,  I  advance 
with  considerable  diffidence,  viz.,  that  if  certain  mental  dis- 
eases, in  which  very  frequently  no  anatomical  changes  are 
noticeable,  are  caused  by  a  more  or  less  defective  phosphorus 
metabolism — which  according  to  the  above  statements  appears 
to  be  the  case — one  could,  by  the  administration  of  a  great 
deal  of  nuclein-phosphoric  acid  in  the  food,  together  with 
a  treatment  with  thyroid — ovarian  or  testicular  extracts, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  case — cause  a  very  great  im- 
provement and  possibly  a  complete  recovery.  Indeed,  the 
administration  of  thyroid  and  ovarian  extracts  in  certain 
mental  affections  has  already  caused  a  decided  amelioration  of 
the  symptoms.  I  have  myself  seen  such  results  in  several  cases 
of  melancholia.  When  in  other  cases,  however,  no  successful 
results  were  obtained,  this  might  perhaps  be  ascribed  to  a 
defective  diet.  It  seems  therefore  to  be  indicated  that  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  phosphorus  be  administered,  together 
with  these  organic  preparations.  Certain  cases  of  polyneuritis 
and  epilepsy  have  lately  been  published  in  which  the  adminis- 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       379 

tration  of  phosphorus  was  attended  with  beneficial  results. 
Lecithin  (Buchmann)  has  a  similar  effect,  as  it  causes  the 
retention  of  phosphorus,  as  was  shown  by  Slowzoff  (and  con- 
firmed by  Joshimoto).  Such  favorable  results  would  no  doubt 
also  occur  in  mental  diseases,  if  phosphorus  and  organic  prep- 
arations were  simultaneously  administered. 

2.  Hints  Concerning  the  Diet  of  Brain  Workers. 

When  Albrect  von  Haller,  the  great  physician  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  was  for  a  time  subsisting  upon  a  strictly 
vegetarian  diet,  he  felt  great  muscular  weakness,  a  decided 
depression  of  spirits,  and  was  unable  to  do  any  mental  work. 
(As  a  proof  of  Haller's  intelligence,  I  would  call  attention  to 
the  fact  that  at  the  age  of  5  years  he  was  explaining  the  Bible 
to  his  father's  servants,  and  at  12  years  wrote  a  Greek  gram- 
mar.) Results  similar  to  the  above  are  often  noticed.  Per- 
sonally, I  experienced  the  same  effects  after  a  long-continued 
vegetable  diet.  Undernutrition  often  leads  to  excitability  of 
the  nervous  system — many  cases  of  nervousness,  neurasthenia, 
and  hysteria  are  improved  by  a  plentiful  diet — and  the  disin- 
clination for  mental  labor  may  perhaps  be  due  to  this.  Accord- 
ing to  the  statements  in  the  previous  chapter,  the  lack  of 
phosphorus  may  possibly  be  the  chief  factor  in  such  conditions, 
since  the  nervous  system  cannot  properly  carry  out  its  func- 
tions without  a  sufficient  quantity  of  phosphorus.  As  already 
stated,  the  phosphorus  of  animal  origin  is  better  assimilated; 
in  a  vegetable  diet  much  of  it  is  lost  in  the  intestine.  Fish  is 
preferable  to  meat,  since,  according  to  the  recent  works  of 
Slowzoff,  the  salts  are  more  readily  absorbed  from  it  and  the 
phosphorus  content  in  the  body  is  therefore  increased.  Up  to 
the  present  the  impression  has  prevailed  that  the  amount  of 
phosphorus  in  fish  is  small ;  but  when  we  study  the  analyses  of 
Balland  and  Jebbink,  it  will  be  seen  that  some  quite  small  fish 


380  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

have  a  particularly  high  phosphorus  content.  According  to 
Balland,  fried  gudgeons  contain  more  of  it  than  perhaps  any 
other  food  substance,  the  natural  substance  containing  0.82 
per  cent,  of  phosphorus  and  0.90  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid ; 
thus  more  than  twice  the  amount  in  meat.  The  same  is  the 
case  in  some  other  fish  varieties,  according  to  Tebbink.  The 
experiments  of  Schmidt  and  Bessau  also  show  that  the  smaller 
fish  have  a  high  nuclein  content  and  consequently  contain  much 
phosphorus.  Leguminous  vegetables  and  cereals  are  likewise 
rich  in  phosphorus — according  to  Balland,  they  surpass  many 
of  the  small  fish  in  this  respect — but  a  considerable  portion  of 
this  substance  passes  through  the  intestine  unused  when  a  pure 
vegetable  diet  is  partaken  of.  There  is  probably  no  article  of 
food  poorer  in  phosphorus  than  the  fine  white  bread  sO'  much 
used  by  the  wealthier  classes,  and  Aron  and  Hodgeson  have 
shown  that  monkeys  gradually  weaken  and  die  upon  such 
a  diet.  The  same  was  the  case  with  the  animals  of  Forster, 
Eickman,  Axel  Hoist,  and  others  when  fed  upon  food  lacking 
in  phosphorus.  We  must  not  imagine,  however,  that  an  un- 
talented  writer  will  become  a  Victor  Hugo  if  he  continually 
feeds  upon  fish,  eggs,  meat,  and  cheese  and  leguminous  vege- 
tables in  particular,  since  the  intellect  does  not  only  depend 
upon  this,  but  also  upon  the  condition  of  certain  organs  which 
exert  a  great  influence  upon  the  phosphorus  metabolism.  The 
American  humorist,  Mark  Twain,  wrote  to  a  young  writer  of 
average  capability — who  had  asked  his  opinion  in  regard  to 
some  of  his  writings — that  he  would  do  well  to  eat  a  whale 
every  day,  by  which  means  he  would  become  a  celebrated 
author,  since  it  was  said  that  a  fish  diet  had  a  stimulating  effect 
upon  the  mental  attributes. 

At  all  events,  a  fish  diet  is  efficacious  in  mental  labor 
owing  to  the  fact  that  it  is  very  easily  digested ;  this  is  of  great 
importance,  for  after  a  plentiful  meal  of  meat  one  feels  heavy 
and  brainwork  is  accomplished  with  difficulty.    The  same  may 


Actiznty  of  Fwictions  Brought  about  by  Food.       381 

be  said  of  any  very  full  meal,' especially  if  the  food  is  difficult 
to  digest.  During  the  digestion  more  blood  flows  to  the 
digestive  organs — as  it  does  to  any  organ  which  is  at  work — ■ 
and  consequently  less  to  the  brain.  While  an  overabundant 
diet  may  be  injurious,  an  insufficient  one  is  much  more  so, 
since  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  blood,  as  well  as  the  cir- 
culation of  the  brain,  suffer  thereby.  Moreover,  a  great  loss 
of  phosphorus  always  occurs  in  undernutrition.  It  will  thus 
be  readily  understood  what  serious  injury  is  inflicted  upon 
growing  school  children  when  they  are  allowed  to  go  hungry. 
When,  therefore,  the  State  renders  attendance  at  school  com- 
pulsory, it  should  likewise  see  to  it  that  every  child  be  prop- 
erly nourished.  A  starving  school  child  puts  the  modern  State 
administration  to  shame.  When  there  is  a  cjuestion  as  to 
who  should  do  without  food,  it  should  rather  be  the  father  than 
the  child  who  is  obliged  to  study.  The  poor,  hollow-cheeked 
student,  who  has  not  enough  to  eat  and  who  has  many  difficult 
subjects  to  study,  is  one  of  the  greatest  reproaches  to  our 
civilization  and  culture.  If  such  children  were  given  a  certain 
amount  of  food  at  the  expense  of  the  State,  the  money  spent 
for  this  purpose  would  be  returned  a  hundredfold,  when  we 
consider  that  in  this  way  very  useful  citizens  would  be  trained, 
and  much  money  now  spent  for  the  maintenance  of  hospitals, 
workhouses,  and  prisons  would  be  saved.  Unfortunately,  so 
many  provisos  of  the  modern  State  government  are  reparative, 
but  not  preventive.  Millions  are  spent  where  as  many  thou- 
sands would  have  sufficed  if  matters  had  been  attended  to  in 
time. 

By  innumerable  trials  upon  cretinous  school  children,  it 
has  been  made  clear  that  they  are  markedly  benefited  by  the 
thyroid  treatment.  Possibly  the  results  would  be  even  more 
satisfactory  if  phosphorus  and  lime  were  to  be  administered 
at  the  same  time  in  the  food.  Such  a  diet  would  even  be  in- 
dicated for  normal  children,  as  the  physical  growth  is  likewise 


382  Health   Through  Rational  Diet. 

increased  by  it.  As  an  important  constituent  of  this  diet  should 
be  included  bread  made  from  whole  wheat,  which  is  more  rich 
in  phosphorus.  The  thyroid  gland  cannot  stimulate  either  the 
intelligence  or  growth,  if  there  is  not  at  the  same  time  a  suffi- 
cient amount  of  phosphorus  and  lime  in  the  food. 

The  diet  of  a  brainworker  should  be  one  adapted  to  the 
nature  of  his  work.  In  view  of  the  considerations  already  pre- 
sented it  would  perhaps  be  advisable  to  make  experiments  for 
the  purpose  of  elucidating  how  certain  kinds  of  mental  labor 
are  affected  by  various  foods.  When  creative  work  is  to  be 
done — the  formulating  of  new,  original  ideas — a  meat  and  fish 
diet,  with  eggs,  cheese,  and  green  vegetables,  might  be  the 
best.  Thus,  for  musical  composers,  writers,  etc.,  such  a  diet, 
with  meat  and  fish  once  a  day,  would  be  indicated,  as  well  as 
for  scholars  who  are  endeavoring  to  elaborate  some  new 
creative  ideas.  When  it  is  desired,  however,  to  work  un- 
tiringly with  a  clear  head  and  quiet  mind  in  carrying  out  the 
details  of  an  already  established  program,  no  other  diet  is  so 
suitable  as  the  milk-egg-vegetable  one,  with  meat  excluded,  or 
a  purely  vegetarian  diet.  For  a  merchant  who  wishes  to  specu- 
late or  carry  out  some  new  undertaking,  a  diet  with  meat  and 
fish  once  a  day  is  well  adapted.  Bookkeepers  or  cashiers,  who 
must  work  at  figures  with  a  clear  head,  as  a  mistake  made 
might  cause  great  damage,  will  do  well  with  a  vegetable  diet, 
and  the  same  will  be  the  case  with  officials,  providing  they 
adhere  strictly  to  the  one  regime.  Their  industry  would 
greatly  exceed  that  of  the  meat-eaters.  Even  the  "boss"  would 
do  better  on  a  milk-egg-vegetable  diet,  and  would  frequently 
lose  less  in  his  speculations  and  combinations.  As  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  above  in  the  animal  kingdom  I  would  like  to  mention 
the  fact  that  a  hunting  dog  which  must  scent  out  and  point  the 
game  should  be  given  some  meat  every  day  in  order  success- 
fully to  perform  his  task.  For  the  cart-dog,  which  sometimes 
has  to  pull  about  quite  heavy  burdens,  more  carbohydrate  food 


Actknty  of  Fitiictioiis  Broitglit  about  by  Food.       383 

is  required,  although  some  meat  would  also  be  advantageous. 
Physical  labor  is  principally  carried  on  at  the  expense  of  the 
carbohydrates,  whereas  mental  work  cannot  be  accomplished 
without  a  sufficient  or  rather  an  abundant  supply  of  albumin. 
According  to  Pfliiger  and  Rubner,  albumin  is  the  greatest 
producer  of  energy. 

I  cannot  imagine  such  a  man  as  Napoleon  living  upon  a 
purely  vegetable  diet,  and  I  think  that  everyone  will  agree 
with  me.  It  certainly  was  not  the  case,  and  he  was  a  very 
impulsive  eater.  He  ate  at  all  hours,  and  food  had  constantly 
to  be  kept  prepared  and  ready  for  him;  he  was  most  surely  not 
a  methodical,  temperate  man,  as  he  might  have  been  upon  a 
vegetarian  diet,  but  a  true  genius! 

From  these  considerations  it  follows  that  for  nervous, 
restless  persons  and  for  quiet,  methodical  mental  work  no  diet 
is  superior  to  the  vegetarian.  For  the  pursuit  of  new  fields 
of  endeavor,  the  creation  of  new  inventions,  etc.,  this  would, 
however,  probably  not  be  the  case. 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  generalize,  and  in  this  still 
rather  obscure  field  we  must  be  especially  careful  in  coming 
to  conclusions.  One  thing  is  certain,  however,  viz.,  that  where 
mental  work  is  to  be  accomplished  moderation  in  eating  and 
drinking  is  necessary.  It  would  be  advisable  rather  to  eat 
more  frequently  than  to  wait  until  ravenously  hungry  and  then 
eat  too  much,  thus  rendering  one's  self  heavy  and  unfit  for  any 
work.  It  is  best  to  take  a  glass  of  milk,  with  a  little  cream 
and  the  yolk  of  an  egg  added ;  for  when  we  consider  how  rich 
in  fat  the  brain  (up  to  8  per  cent.)  and  the  nervous  system  (21 
per  cent.)  are,  we  should — if  the  principle  that  for  the  proper 
functioning  of  an  organ  the  substances  in  which  it  is  rich  should 
be  administered  in  considerable  amounts  is  correct — take  plenty 
of  milk,  butter,  and  eggs  while  mental  labor  is  being  carried 
on,  since  the  organs  in  question  contain  much  lecithin. 

When  the  milk-egg-vegetable  diet — which  is  in  the  aver- 


384  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

age  case  the  proper  one,  except  under  the  circumstances  above 
mentioned — is  used,  milk,  oatmeal  gruel,  <Dr  some  other  of  the 
breakfast  dishes  previously  referred  to,  such  as  eggs,  fruit 
(cherries),  etc.,  should  be  taken.  At  noon  thick  vegetable 
soups,  eggs,  cheese,  vegetables,  macaroni,  milk,  stewed  fruit 
are  suitable ;  in  the  evening,  eggs,  cheese,  vegetables,  macaroni, 
or  rice.  Altogether  this  gives  an  average  daily  of  4  to  6  eggs, 
I  to  i^  liters  of  milk,  with  cheese,  macaroni,  rice,  sago,  green 
vegetables,  and  fruit  (nuts,  raisins,  dates,  and  fresh  fruits). 
When,  for  the  reasons  mentioned,  a  mixed  diet  is  taken,  meat 
may  be  eaten  at  noon  and  fish  in  the  evening.  As  a  beverage 
cocoa,  which  is  especially  rich  in  phosphorus,  should  be  used; 
this  was  the  favorite  drink  of  the  great  Swede,  Karl  Linnaeus 
(Linne). 

3.  The  Increase  of  Sexual  Activity  by  a  Specially 
Adapted  Diet. 

Since  the  most  remote  periods  of  the  existence  of  man, 
the  eating  of  fish  has  been  accredited  with  the  property  of  in- 
creasing sexual  activity.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  the  old 
Egyptians  forbade  the  eating  of  fish  by  the  priests.^  There 
must  be  some  truth  in  this,  since  the  idea  has  persisted  up  to  the 
present  time.  Brillat-Savarin,  in  expressing  his  belief  in  this 
property  of  fish,  cited  as  an  example  the  notoriety  achieved  in 
this  direction  by  the  members  of  several  clubs  the  rules  of 
which  forbade  the  use  of  meat  and  required  that  fish  be  eaten 
every  day.  They  acquired  the  same  reputation,  says  Brillat- 
Savarin,  as  that  enjoyed  by  Hercules  with  the  daughters  of 
Danaus  ("elles  finirent  par  donner  a  eux  une  reputation  sem- 
blable  a  celle  d'Hercule  chez  les  filles  de  Danaus  ou  du 
Marechal  de  Saxe  aupres  de  Mademoiselle  Lecouvreur"^). 

1  Wilkinson  :   Loc.  cit.,  p.  23. 

*  Brillat-Savarin  :   Loc.  cit.,  p.  353. 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       385 

He  also  referred  to  the  story  of  the  Sultan  Saladin  and  the  two 
dervishes.  As  the  guests  of  the  Sultan,  the  latter  were  served 
with  an  abundance  of  meat;  he  also  gave  them  two  odalisks, 
who  were,  however,  unable  to  seduce  them.  They  escaped 
from  this  temptation  "as  pure  as  the  diamond  of  Visapur." 
When  later  the  Sultan  fed  his  guests  for  several  weeks  almost 
exclusively  upon  fish,  they  were  no  longer  able  to  follow  the 
example  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua.  Both  of  the  holy  men  fell 
victims  of  a  fish  diet.  Davy^  also  mentions  the  striking  fact 
that  fish-eating  populations  have  a  very  numerous  progeny. 
As  he  says,  no  other  people  are  their  equals  in  this. 

Other  articles  of  diet,  particularly  eggs  and  caviar,  are 
alsogenerally  supposed  to  exert  a  stimulating  action  upon 
sexual  activity.^  It  is  customary  to  say,  vox  popiili  vox  Dei, 
and  as  far  as  foods  are  concerned  I  would  be  inclined  to  con- 
sider that  in  the  case  of  such  empiric  beliefs,  which  have  been 
handed  down  to  us  from  time  immemorial,  even  medical 
science — which  has  undoubtedly  frequently  profited  by  such 
statements — should  not  pass  them  by  without  notice,  as  there 
might  possibly  be  something  in  them.  It  seems  to  me  quite 
certain  that  a  plentiful  diet  containing,  in  particular,  much 
protein  would  have  an  excitant  influence  upon  the  sexual  func- 
tion. We  are  familiar  with  the  fact  that  the  male  sexual 
glands,  when  they  are  well  filled,  exert  a  certain  stimulus  upon 
the  sexual  sensory  centers.  The  heads  of  the  spermatozoa,  like 
cell  nuclei,  consist  chiefly  of  nucleoproteids.  When  a  consider- 
able amount  of  food  rich  in  nuclein  is  absorbed  in  the  diet,  the 
spermatozoa  become  more  numerous  and  are  more  apt  to  exert 
an  exciting  effect,  but  when  these  nuclein  bodies  are  absorbed 
in  inadequate  quantities  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  sper- 
matozoa can  only  be  formed  in  small  number.  Our  common 
experiences  would  seem  to  indicate  this,  for  we  know  that  a 

1  Cited  after  Pavy. 


386  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

rich,  plentiful  diet  frequently  increases  the  sexual  impulse^ 
whilgj  on  the  othe^hand.  with  poor  and  somewhat  insufficient 
food — especially  a  strict  vegetarian  diet — it  is  usually  dimin- 
ished.  An  interesting  illustration  of  this  was  witnessed  by 
me  at  Salamanca  several  years  ago,  during  a  journey  to  the 
International  Medical  Congress  in  Lisbon,  in  the  month  of 
April.  I  saw  in  the  streets  quite  a  number  of  dogs  running 
loose;  one  of  them,  a  female,  was  following  a  thin,  hungry- 
looking  male  dog,  and  although  Darwin  says  that  the  female 
sex  is  of  a  more  retiring  nature  than  the  male — a  fact  which  I 
ascribe  to  the  necessity  of  a  miore  careful  maintenance  of  the 
power  of  reproduction  in  the  sexual  organs — this  doggie  took 
the  greatest  pains  to  attract  the  male  dog  by  resorting  to  all 
the  usual  endearments  peculiar  to  these  animals;  all  in  vain, 
however,  for  he  failed  to  carry  out  his  natural  duties.  This 
starved  animal,  in  which  the  ribs  and  in  fact  all  the  bones 
could  be  counted,  could  not  be  cajoled  into  such  an  expenditure 
of  energy,  which  his  miserable  food  was  not  capable  of  supply- 
ing. This  was  a  manifestation  of  sexual  apathy  which  is  not 
often  to  be  noticed  in  a  male  dog  during  the  month  of  April. 

It  would  appear  that  with  a  plentiful  diet  certain  foods, 
such  as  eggs  and  fish--as  has  been  confirmed  by  my  own 
observations — have  a  stimulating  effect  upon  sexual  activity. 
Whitteween,  who  was  busy  at  an  educational  establishment 
for  abandoned  young  people  in  Ermeloo,  also  observed  that 
fish,  and  likewise  codliver  oil,  caused  decided  stimulation  upon 
the  sexual  function.  The  question  is,  then,  whether  this 
peculiarity  of  fish  does  not  lie  in  its  chemical  composition — in 
some  mineral  substance  which  would  exert  a  powerful  influence 
upon  the  sexual  organs.  Phosphorus  would  here  first  invite 
our  attention,  as  it  is  contained  in  so  considerable  an  amount 
in  these  foods. 

Very  interesting  in  this  connection  is  a  fact  reported  by 
Ragner    Berg,    who    found,    in    the    Lahmann    Sanatorium. 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       387 

''Weisser  Hirsch,"  that  lecithin  acts  as  an  aphrodisiac;  this 
would  agree  with  what  we  have  already  stated.^  If_a  diet 
jich  in  nucleins  acts  as  an  excitant  vipon  the  ';pvnal  fnnrtinn 
this  may  be  explained  by  the  stimulating-  effect  of  such  a  diet 
upon   the  thyroid   gland,   for   we   know   how   intimate   i<^   the 


relation  of  this  gland  with  the  sexual  organs.  The  favorable 
action  of  the  phosphorus  and  lecithin-containing  foods  is  also 
explainable  through  their  influence  in  exciting  nervous  activity. 

We  might  add,  moreover,  that  trufHes  are  supposed  to  act 
upon  the  sexual  activity.  As  Brillat-Savarin  says,  "elles 
peuvent  rendre  les  femmes  plus  aimables  et  les  hommes  plus 
amoureux"  (they  make  women  more  amiable  and  men  more 
amorous).  Truffles  are  also  very  rich  in  phosphorus,  as  well 
as  in  iron.  A  similar  action  is  ascribed  to  crabs  and  lobsters, 
for  they  also  contain  much  phosphorus. 

Iron,  like  phosphorus,  has  a  decided  influence  upon  the 
sexual  activity.  As  we  stated  in  our  work  on  "Old  Age  De- 
ferred," iron  influences  the  formation  of  blood  in  a  round- 
about way  through  the  ovaries,  which,  as  is  now  admitted  by 
all,  greatly  influence  blood  formation.  Foods  containing  iron 
and  phosphorus  thus  appear  to  have  a  very  favorable  effect 
upon  sexual  activity.  The  most  marked  influence  is  exerted 
by  eggs,  caviar,  and  truffles,  which  all  contain  much  iron, 
though  that  contained  in  the  last-named  is  in  part  very  poorly 
assimilated. 

The  manner  in  which  Brillat-Savarin  treated  a  Parisian 
who  found  himself  in  a  state  of  exhaustion  after  sexual  ex- 
cesses was  most  original.  He  ordered  that  an  old  cock  be 
ground  up  in  a  mortar ;  2  pounds  of  the  very  best  beef,  a  hand- 
ful of  parsley,  and  3  turnips,  each  in  a  separate  pan,  were 
boiled  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour ;  then  all  these  ingredients 
were  mixed  and  boiled   for  another  quarter  of  an  hour,   a 


1  B^^Berg)  Congres  International  sur  I'Alimentation,  Brussels,  1910. 


388  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

little  water  being  added  from  time  to  time.  Of  this  strong 
bouillon  he  ordered  that  one  cupful  be  taken  by  the  patient 
every  three  hours  during  the  first  day,  and  afterward  one 
cupful  every  morning  for  several  days.  This  procedure  is 
interesting  for  the  reason  that,  in  the  employment  of  the  sexual 
organs  of  the  cock,  the  principles  of  organotherapy  were  re- 
sorted to  long  before  our  time. 

Conditions  existing  in  the  animal  world  are  also  interest- 
ing in  this  connection.  I  may  mention  here  that  according  to 
my  observations  in  England  horses  were  in  heat  and  sexually 
inclined  after  having  eaten  the  horse-beans  which  are  so  much 
used  in  that  country.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  hunting 
horses  are  there  fed  chiefly  upon  oats  and  are  not  given  any 
of  the  horse-beans,  as  they  would  then  become  unmanageable 
because  of  their  sexual  excitement.  Since  horse-beans  are 
much  richer  in  phosphorus  than  oats,  it  may  be  assumed  that 
by  a  proper  selection  of  foods  containing  certain  nutrient  salts 
the  sexual  activity  may  be  greatly  stimulated. 

4.  The  Dietetic  Treatment  of  Impotence  as  well  as  of 
Sexual  Apathy  and  Sterility. 

Although  we  can,  as  has  already  been  stated,  with  con- 
siderable certainty  stimulate  and  increase  sexual  activity  by 
means  of  a  diet  rich  in  phosphorus  and  iron,  this  does  not  by 
any  means  imply  that  we  can  thereby  turn  an  impotent  individ- 
ual into  a  very  potent  one,  any  more  than  we  can  make  a 
sensible  person  out  of  a  stupid  individual  by  merely  adminis- 
tering plenty  of  phosphorus.  The  matter  is  not  quite  so  simple 
as  all  that.  We  are  able,  to  be  sure,  to  furnish  the  necessary 
material  for  the  functioning  of  the  brain  and  sexual  organs  in 
the  shape  of  nutrient  salts,  but  the  proper  assimilation  and 
utilization  of  this  material  depends  upon  the  activity  of  the 
thyroid  and  sexual  glands,  and  possibly  also  upon  the  hy- 
pophysis. 


^cthnty  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       389 

The  last-named  organ  also  stands  in  intimate  relation  with 
the  sexual  glands,  just  as  does  the  thyroid.  If  the  thyroid  is 
degenerated,  the  sexual  organs  will  also  undergo  degenerative 
changes,  and  vice  versa.  The  functions  of  these  organs  go 
hand  in  hand,  and  we  can  therefore,  by  increasing  the  sexual 
activity,  also  improve  the  intellectual  capacity,  which  is  greatly 
influenced  by  the  condition  of  the  thyroid  and  the  sexual 
glands.  In  our  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred"  we  gave  details 
to  illustrate  how  frequently  gifted  and  brilliant  men  have  been 
sexually  inclined.  When  the  thyroid  gland  or  the  sexual 
glands  are  degenerated,  not  much  can  be  accomplished  by  food 
alone;  we  must  also  give  the  required  organic  preparation  in 
addition,  and  with  this,  according  to  my  experience,  in  cases 
of  testicular  insufficiency  or  when  alterations  not  too  pro- 
nounced have  occurred,  very  good  results  may  be  obtained, 
even  in  individuals  of  advanced  age.  The  case  of  a  youth  who 
was  suffering  from  testicular  insufficiency  and  presented  the 
appearance  of  a  eunuch  has  already  been  referred  to.  When 
we  are  treating  persons  in  whom  the  thyroid  and  sexual  glands 
are  in  such  a  condition  that  they  may  still  be  enabled  to  carry 
out  their  functions — in  many  old  men  the  testicles  are  in  a 
pretty  fair  condition — we  give  the  diet  especially  adapted,  i.e., 
fish,  meat,  eggs,  caviar,  certain  vegetables,  fruits,  etc.  This 
simply  results  in  increased  sexual  desire,  but  it  is  a  far  step  to 
a  complete  restoration  of  potency.  The  potency  of  a  man  does 
not  really  depend  upon  the  degree,  more  or  less  pronounced,  of 
his  sexual  impulse,  which  is  certainly  an  allwise  dispensation 
of  the  Creator,  for  if  the  libidinous  men  were  also  the  most 
potent  the  human  race  would  surely  be  threatened  with  extinc- 
tion. The  production  of  semen  may  be  furthered  by  a  rich 
and  properly  adapted  diet,  in  case  it  is  not  present  in  sufficient 
quantity  in  advanced  age  or  after  some  debilitating  disease,  or 
when  the  sexual  impulse  is  impaired.  The  accomplishment  of 
the  act  itself  depends,  however,  upon  the  condition  of  the 


390  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

organ  involved,  v^^hich  may  have  undergone  certain  changes 
owing  to  diseases  such  as  chronic  gonorrhea,  prostatitis,  vari- 
cocele, etc.  These  factors  have  then  to  be  removed.  It  also 
depends  upon  the  circulation ;  there  must  be  a  sufficiently  high 
blood-pressure  so  that  sufficient  blood  will  be  carried  to  the 
member  to  enable  erection  to  take  place.  When  too  much 
alcohol  is  taken  at  a  time  the  blood-pressure  is  diminished  and 
erection  cannot  occur.  The  state  of  the  nervous  system  is  of 
primary  importance.  When  too  much  meat  is  taken  daily,  and 
when  a  person  is  very  nervous,  potency  may  be  impaired  from 
the  fact  that  ejaculation  occurs  much  too  soon;  there  is  then 
a  condition  of  irritable  impotency,  with  which  are  usually  asso- 
ciated augmented  sexual  tendencies.  In  such  cases  the  inges- 
tion of  meat  must  be  restricted;  it  would  be  preferable  to 
adhere  for  a  time  to  the  milk-egg-vegetable  diet.  Men  much 
underfed  are  sometimes  the  most  capable  in  regard  to  sexual 
requirements,  inasmuch  as  the  act  is  properly  carried  out  by 
them,  although  they  really  have  less  sexual  desire.  Insufficient 
nourishment  does,  to  be  sure,  act  as  a  hindrance,  because  owing 
to  insufficiency  of  blood  no  proper  erection  can  take  place. 
These  facts  prove  that  overnutrition  may  occasionally  prove 
injurious ;  under  such  conditions  a  diet  rich  in  phosphorus  and 
sometimes  also  in  iron  is  required  ;Jn  fact,  I  have  frequently 
obtained  very  good  results  with  such  a  diet  in  treating  impo- 
^ifiULpatients. 

Such  a  diet — rich  in  phosphorus  and  iron — is  also  very 
necessary  in  sexual  apathy  in  women.  In  combination  with 
thyroid  gland  and  ovarian  extracts,  and  particularly  with  the 
aid  of  the  customary  mud  baths  at  Carlsbad,  Franzensbad,  and 
Marienbad,  very  good  results  are  obtained  not  only  in  sexual 
apathy,  but  also  in  sterility  in  women,  when  this  is  not  due  to 
anatomical  alterations  in  the  uterus  or  ovaries.  The  best 
results  are  obtained  in  cases  where  no  apparent  anatomical 
changes  exist,  e.g.,  those  in  which  there  is  simply  an  enfeeble- 


Activity  of  Functions  Brought  about  by  Food.       391 


ment  of  the  ovaries — ovarian  insufficiency — as  so  often  occurs 
in  chlorosis.  Numerous  experiments  made  upon  animals  have 
afforded  clear  evidence  of  the  influence  exerted  by  food  upon 
their  reproductive  power,  as  well  as  their  offspring. 


5.  Addendum.    Diet  to  be  Used  in  Sexual  Abstention. 

Some  persons,  by  reason  of  their  calling,  i.e.,  the  Catholic 
monks  and  nuns  who  are  bound  by  their  vows,  are  obliged  to 
lead  a  life  of  sexual  abstemiousness.  As  has  already  been 
stated  in  our  work  on  "Old  Age  Deferred,"  this  may  in  some 
persons,  although  by  no  means  invariably  so,  cause  severe 
injury  to  the  nervous  system.  Certain  precautionary  measures 
are  therefore  necessary,  and  much  can  be  done  in  this  connec- 
tion by  means  of  a  rational  diet.  Foods  containing  much 
nuclein  and  phosphorus,  such  as  meat,  fish,  and  eggs,  are  to  be 
avoided;  also  certain  green  vegetables,  such  as  celery  and 
asparagus,  which,  owing  to  their  action  upon  the  bladder,  may 
have  an  excitant  effect.  Foods  having  laxative  properties  are 
advisable,  since  constipation  may  have  an  irritant  stimulating 
effect  by  causing  congestion  of  the  pelvic  organs.  For  such 
persons  a  vegetable  diet  would  be  indicated,  but,  since  in  sub- 
jects who  do  not  spend  much  time  in  the  open  air — and  this  is 
particularly  the  case  with  many  of  the  inmates  of  nunneries — a 
strictly  vegetable  diet  may  favor  the  development  of  tuber- 
culosis, a  milk  and  vegetable  diet,  with  the  addition  of  a 
limited  quantity  of  eggs,  would  be  preferable.  It  is  hardly  to 
be  supposed  that  such  a  moderate  addition  of  eggs  could  have 
an  excitant  effect,  especially  in  the  case  of  persons  who  have 
been  trained  to  such  a  vocation.  The  greatest  moderation  in 
eating  and  drinking  is  a  prime  requisite  in  combating  sexual 
desire,  and,  as  Father  Cats  remarked :  "Die  weynigh  eet  en 
minder  drinkt,  die  is  het,  die  de  lusten  dwingt." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  INCREASED  MUSCULAR  POWER  RESULTING 
FROM  A  SUITABLE  DIET. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  astonishing  feats  of  the 
Congo  negroes,  and  would  like  to  cite  here  the  almost  unbeliev- 
able achievement  of  30  oarsmen  who  rowed  the  boat  of  the 
Commissary-general  of  the  Congo  army,  Captain  Meule- 
meester,^  on  the  torrential  Eau  Blanche,  a  tributary  of  the 
Congo,  for  thirty-six  hours,  day  and  night,  and  this  when 
rowing  upstream.  As  food  they  had  only  a  very  young  kid 
standing  about  thirty  centimeters  high ;  they  ate  this  with  the 
skin — after  burning  off  the  hair — including  even  the  eyes. 
(As  we  have  previously  stated,  these  wild  tribes  are  vegeta- 
rians by  compulsion ;  when  they  do  occasionally  get  an  animal 
as  food,  they  eat  it  with  the  skin  and  entrails.)  During  the 
thirty-six-hour  journey  no  habitations  were  to  be  seen  any- 
where, so  that  the  men  were  obliged  to  manage  with  this  very 
limited  quantity  of  food.  Among  some  other  strictly  vege- 
tarian peoples  we  also  find  examples  of  untiring  capacity  for 
work,  as,  for  instance,  in  an  Indian  tribe  the  members  of 
which  carry  tourists  to  the  top  of  the  Himalaya  mountains,  an 
ascent  of  17,000  feet,  in  three  and  one-half  hours.  Their  food 
is  exclusively  vegetarian.  They  live  upon  dates,  rice,  chapiti 
(a  food  made  with  ''gram"),  and  a  small  amount  of  a  kind  of 
cooked  butter  (ghee).  These  people  are  so  thin  that  they  are 
truly  "skin  and  bones,"  but  are  so  indefatigable  on  the  march 
that  they  allow  themselves  but  a  very  short  time  for  the  absorp- 
tion of  their  scanty  rations  of  vegetable  food.    Notwithstanding 

1  Verbal  communication. 
(392) 


Increased  Muscular  Pozvcr  from  Suitable  Diet.       393 

the  cold  in  the  high  mountain  regions,  these  people  go  about 
entirely  naked,  save  for  a  cloth  tied  about  their  loins. 

We  must  not  believe,  however,  that  this  untiring  and 
unusual  muscular  activity  is  the  result  of  peculiarities  of  race 
or  climate,  for  very  much  the  same  thing  may  be  observed 
among  Caucasians.  It  is  an  undisputed  fact  that  vegetarians 
are  always  ahead  in  any  athletic  feats  where  success  depends 
upon  the  powers  of  endurance.  In  bodily  exertions  where 
great  strength  is  required,  as  in  the  lifting  of  heavy  weights, 
etc.,  this  is,  however,  not  the  case ;  nor  would  I  be  able  to  under- 
stand how  this  could  be  possible  with  their  sparing  albuminous 
diet.  For  such  work  very  powerful  muscles  are  required ;  since 
these  are  built  up  of  albumin,  large  quantities  of  the  latter 
would  have  to  be  absorbed,  and  with  a  strictly  vegetarian  diet 
this  is  impossible.  An  animal  which  absorbs  plenty  of  albumin, 
the  lion,  for  instance,  can  jump  over  a  hedge  with  a  two-year- 
old  ox  in  its  mouth,  but  is  unable  to  carry  it  very  far.  An  ox 
would  not  be  able  to  accomplish  such  a  single  feat  of  great 
strength,  but  it  could  drag  a  much  heavier  load  for  a  consider- 
able distance.  In  other  words,  a  sudden  and  single  effort  of 
strength  and  energy  is  best  accomplished  when  albuminous  food 
is  being  taken,  while  untiring  endurance  results  from  vegetable 
food  having  a  great  carbohydrate  content,  which  builds  up 
muscles  such  as  can  be  best  observed  in  severe  cases  of  diabetes. 
On  the  other  hand,  muscular  fatigue,  as  has  been  shown  by 
Mosso,  can  be  counteracted  by  the  ingestion  of  sugar.  When  a 
horse  is  very  much  fatigued  after  a  long  journey  it  is  greatly 
refreshed  and  invigorated  by  sugar.  As  was  shown  by  Van 
t'Hoff,  the  breast  muscles  of  pigeons  contain  more  glycogen 
than  the  liver.  This  substance  thus  occurs  in  the  largest 
amounts  precisely  where  it  is  chiefly  required,  i.e.,  in  the 
muscles  used  in  flying.  During  the  act  of  flying  the  quantity 
of  glycogen  in  the  breast  muscles  is  diminished.  Moreover,  it 
becomes  evident,  from  the  results  of  a  series  of  careful  experi- 


394  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

ments  by  Pettenkofer  and  Voit,  that  muscular  effort  does  not 
of  itself  cause  a  loss  in  albumin,  but  that  the  contraction  takes 
place  at  the  expense  of  the  fats  and  carbohydrates,  as  was  also 
shown  by  Fick  and  Wislicenus.  Consequently,  when  work  is 
being  performed  fats  and  carbohydrates  in  quantities  amply 
proportionate  to  the  labor  to  be  accomplished  must  be  taken  in 
combination  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  albumin,  as  the  work 
is  principally  performed  at  the  expense  of  these  substances; 
otherwise,  the  albumin  content  in  the  body  will  be  impaired 
and  emaciation  occur.  When  plenty  of  fat  and  carbohydrate 
is  present,  the  albumin  is  saved  and  the  work  accomplished  in 
part  by  means  of  the  other  substances.  In  the  food  of  the 
negro  tribes  above  mentioned  the  carbohydrates  are  well  rep- 
resented in  the  form  of  bananas,  sweet  potatoes,  and  manioc. 
The  wonderful  feats  accomplished  by  these  men  are  to  be  thus 
accounted  for.  A  negro  carrier  of  the  Zacongo  tribe  is  able, 
for  instance,  to  carry  a  load  of  about  37  kilos  for  eight  hours, 
then  to  climb  a  mountain  300  meters  high  still  carrying  the 
load,  and  after  a  rest  of  one  hour  take  the  load  up  again  and 
go  on.  In  animals — horses — the  same  facts  may  be  observed. 
A  horse  fed  upon  plenty  of  oats  will  get  very  tired  after  having 
run  very  quickly  for  several  kilometers,  while  the  Hungarian 
horses,  fed  upon  much  hay  and  very  little  oats,  and  which  often 
do  not  stand  much  higher  than  a  large  dog,  can  proceed  un- 
ceasingly for  many  hours.  An  ox  gets  food  similarly  poor  in 
albumin,  viz.,  hay,  etc.,  and  draws  a  heavy  load  for  great 
distances.  Just  as  animals  require  various  foods  according  to 
the  work  they  are  expected  to  do, — the  heavily  worked  horses 
in  the  mines  in  the  vicinity  of  Sheffield  are  fed  upon  horse- 
beans,  oats,  and  corn  in  considerable  quantities, — so  also  with 
man  the  amount  and  nature  of  the  work  to  be  accomplished 
should  be  considered  in  determining  his  diet. 


Increased  Muscular  Poiver  from  Suitable  Diet.       395 


Addendum.     Hints  Concerning  the  Diet  during  Fatiguing 
Journeys,  in  Mountain  Climbing,  Rozmng,  etc. 

From  the  above  statements  it  will  be  observed  that  we 
must  provide  ourselves  with  considerable  quantities  of  starch- 
and  sugar-  containing  foods  when  preparing  for  a  long  and 
fatiguing  excursion.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  albumin  must, 
above  all,  not  be  lacking,  for  the  muscles  which  are  to  be  in 
action  must  be  supplied  with  more  blood,  just  as  is  the  case 
with  every  organ  which  is  at  work.  For  this  purpose,  and 
for  the  development  of  the  muscular  tissue,  which  is  accom- 
plished through  this  increased  blood-supply,  periodically  in- 
duced, albumin  is  necessary.  The  ingestion  of  too  much  meat, 
i.e.,  albumin,  before  starting  on  a  climbing  expedition  is  likely 
to  prove  very  injurious,  as  one  will  very  quickly  become  over- 
heated and  perspire  freely,  and  the  feeling  of  heaviness  and 
drowsiness  occasioned  by  this  food  will  also  be  a  hindrance. 
For  breakfast  some  milk,  oatmeal  gruel,  i  or  2  eggs,  butter, 
fruit,  and  honey  would  be  most  desirable.  At  noon,  no  meat, 
but  I  or  2  eggs,  cheese,  rice,  tapioca,  sago,  fresh  or  dried  fruits, 
chocolate,  and  milk  are  indicated,  and  the  same  for  the  evening 
meal.  In  case  there  should  be  no  opportunity  for  going  to  a 
restaurant  during  the  trip,  it  is  best  to  take  along  bread,  cheese, 
dates,  dried  bananas,  figs,  currants,  pistachio  nuts,  and  choco- 
late— all  of  them,  foods  which  take  up  very  little  space.  We 
should  also  make  it  a  rule  never  to  walk  for  more  than  several 
hours  without  taking  some  nourishment.  In  this  we  should 
imitate  the  coachman,  who  feeds  his  horses  whenever  they  have 
been  on  the  road  for  several  hours.  If  our  machine,  the  body, 
is  expected  to  do  good  work  and  not  run  down  we  must  fre- 
quently provide  it  with  food  the  combustion  of  which  renders 
muscular  exertion  possible.  We  should  consequently  eat  often 
and  avoid  the  consumption  of  heavy  meals,  which  are  apt  to 


396  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

cause  disinclination  for  the  continuance  of  the  cHmbing,  row- 
ing, bicychng,  etc.  While  the  ingestion  of  a  certain  amount 
of  fluid  is  advisable,  it  is  best  to  take  fresh  fruit — oranges, 
cherries — to  quench  the  thirst.  This  is  the  most  rational  mode 
of  satisfying  thirst.  Even  after  very  fatiguing  trips  it  is  not 
w^ell  at  once  to  eat  meat,  but  rather  rice,  green  vegetables,  salad 
with  lemon  juice,  and  fresh  fruits.  Fruit  juices  are  strongly 
to  be  recommended,  particularly  in  the  summer  after  one  has 
perspired  freely.  During  the  trip  those  juices  containing  much 
sugar,  such  as  grape-,  cherry-,  and  agriot-  juice,  are  preferable. 
By  personally  testing  various  kinds  of  nourishment  I  have 
found  that  the  greatest  exertion  can  be  best  accomplished  upon 
a  milk-egg-vegetable  diet.  On  the  days  when  I  made  the 
longest  walking  tours,  I  took  much  rice,  honey,  dried  fruit,  etc. 
Thus,  very  often  on  Sunday  afternoons  I  took  walks  in  our 
mountainous  region  without  the  least  fatigue,  once  in  the 
hours  between  2  o'clock  and  half-past  8  covering  the  distance 
of  26  kilometers — from;  Saifenhaiisel  to  Barringen  (near  the 
boundary  of  Saxony),  thence  tO'  Merkelsgriin,  Lichtenstadt, 
and  Carlsbad,  and  while  on  the  way  spent  about  an  hour  in 
Barringen  in  walking  around  among  the  booths  at  a  church 
festival ;  only  twice  during  the  entire  outing  did  I  sit  down  for 
about  twenty  minutes.  I  was  not  very  much  exhausted  on  my 
return  home.  With  a  meat  diet  I  could  not  so  easily  have  taken 
such  an  extended  walk,  which  is  by  no  means  an  unusual 
experience  for  vegetarians. 


CHAPTER  X. 
Conclusion. 

THE  RELATIONSHIP  OF  FOOD  TO  OLD  AGE 
AND  LONGEVITY. 

Already  over  one  hundred  years  ago,  Villenet^  made  the 
statement,  before  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris,  that,  while 
among  well-nourished  rich  people  there  occurred  i  death  in  50, 
among  the  very  poor  classes  the  deaths  were  i  in  4,  Although 
the  sanitary  conditions  are  now  greatly  improved,  it  is  un- 
doubtedly the  case  that  among  the  poor — and  particularly  as 
regards  tuberculosis — the  number  of  deaths  is  much  greater, 
and  it  is  probably  not  to  be  disputed  that  this  mortality  is  due 
to  insufficient  nutrition.  As  we  have  already  stated,  this  affects 
the  formation  of  the  blood  and  the  resistance  against  infection, 
to  which  badly  and  inadequately  nourished  persons  fall  prey 
more  readily  and  which  frequently  leads  them  to^  their  graves. 
In  this,  as  in  so  many  other  respects,  there  is  no  difference 
between  mankind  and  animals.  On  the  other  hand,  we  observe 
that  persons  who  take  good  food  but  do  not  overeat  may  live  to 
an  advanced  age.  Brillat-Savarin  cites  the  case  of  Monsignor 
Belloy,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  who  was  greatly  esteemed  by 
Napoleon.  He  had  always  been  a  high  liver  and  nevertheless 
lived  for  nearly  a  centui-y.  Napoleon  himself,  whose  table  was 
always  spread  and  who  ate  whenever  he  felt  so'  inclined,  was 
not  very  particular  in  regard  to  his  food ;  he  ate  poorly  and, 
above  all,  most  irregularly.  He  died  at  a  comparatively  early 
age,  and  who  can  say  whether  his  tragic  fall  may  not  have 
been  due  to  this  irrational  mode  of  living  and  faulty  diet,  which 

1  Cited  after  Brillat-Savarin. 

(397) 


398  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

was  the  cause  of  his  gastric  trouble  and,  later  on,  cancer  of 
the  stomach.  How  important  a  proper  diet  is  for  mankind! 
If  Napoleon  had  done  himself  as  was  advised  by  one  of  his  old 
generals  who  said:  *'Hatons-nous  de  faire  battre  nos  soldats 
pendant  qu'ils  ont  encore  le  morceau  de  boeuf  dans  I'estomac" 
^(let  us  make  haste  to  have  our  soldiers  fight  while  they  still 
have  a  piece  of  beef  in  their  stomachs),  perhaps  the  history  of 
the  world  would  have  taken  a  different  turn.  That  our  con- 
clusions are  correct  is  shown  by  the  evidence  submitted  in  the 
previous  chapters. 

Not  only  may  life  itself  be  shortened  by  a  sparing  or 
otherwise  faulty  and  insufficient  diet,  but  the  condition  of  old 
age — senility — is  brought  on  long  before  its  time.  Moderation 
in  diet  is  a  great  virtue,  but  when  carried  to  excess,  like  all 
other  virtues,  it  becomes  a  vice.  I  certainly  do  not  consider 
dieting  indicated  for  a  healthy,  strong  man,  and  I  believe  that 
I  am  correct  in  stating  that  persons  who  do  follow  such  a  diet 
often  look  old  in  comparison  with  those  who  are  well  nourished 
(though  not  overfed).  Anyone  who  keeps  cats  or  dogs  knows 
that  they  look  much  better  and  more  healthy,  and  are  also  much 
more  lively,  when  plenty  of  food  is  given  them.  Sensible 
animals,  as  a  rule,  do  not  eat  more  than  they  require.  I  have 
been  impressed  by  the  fact  that  true  vegetarians  frequently 
present  a  pale,  unhealthy,  and  prematurely  aged  appearance. 
This  is  not  surprising  in  view  of  what  we  have  already  written 
concerning  undernutrition,  since  the  latter  affects  the  forma- 
tion of  the  blood  and  its  distribution  to  the  various  organs. 
The  nutritive  salts  are  also  furnished  in  insufficient  quantities. 
This  is  especially  the  case  with  phosphorus,  for  when  marked 
undernutrition  is  continued  for  some  time  phosphorus  may 
even  be  eliminated.  As  Albu  and  Neuberg  have  so  correctly 
stated,  and  as  has  also  been  shown  through  the  labors  of  Roese 
and  several  other  authors  already  quoted,  mineral  substances 
such  as  lime  and  phosphorus  are  very  necessary  for  man ;  the 


Relatiomhip  of  Food  to  Old  Age.  399 

results  of  deficiency  of  phosphorus  in  the  food  have  ah^eady 
been  fully  treated.  It  is  certainly  evident  that  serious  injury 
must  be  occasioned  when  the  necessary  quantity  of  nutritive 
salts  is  not  daily  ingested  with  the  food,  and  in  this  connection 
it  should  be  remembered  that  in  a  one-sided,  strictly  vegetarian 
diet  the  assimilation  of  the  salts  which  have  been  ingested  is 
very  poor.  When  insufificient  lime  and  phosphorus  is  taken  and 
assimilated,  or  when  these  substances  are  withdrawn  from  the 
food  by  overcooking  or  prolonged  boiling,  the  condition  of  the 
teeth  will  suffer,  just  as  the  blood-supply  and  nutrition  of  the 
gums  will  be  affected  when  the  albumin  content  of  the  food 
is  inadequate,  thus  giving  rise  to  retraction  and  atrophy  in 
them.  This,  of  course,  occurs  principally  in  persons  over  the 
age  of  50,  but  sometimes  begins  earlier.  It  rarely  occurs  in 
persons  living  upon  a  rational  diet.  When  there  is  overnutri- 
tion,  especially  when  the  results  of  the  latter — gout  and  the 
earlier  symptoms  of  arteriosclerosis — appear,  the  nutrition  of 
the  gums  often  suffers.  This  may  give  rise  to  a  loosening  of 
the  teeth,  which  may  even  fall  out.  Atrophy  of  the  jaws  may 
then  follow,  and  the  bony  structure  of  the  face  sink  in;  this 
shortening  may  cause  the  jaws  to  be  displaced  inward,  thus 
forming  a  pointed  chin.  The  face  then  presents  a  very  aged 
appearance.  Similar  changes  take  place  in  the  case  of  the  hair, 
which  likewise  suffers  from  the  insufficient  blood-supply;  this 
is  probably  the  principal  cause  of  loss  of  hair  when  old  age  is 
approaching.  Our  various  organs  and  tissues  can  only  be 
nourished  by  the  blood,  and  if  the  supply  is  inadequate  they 
are  bound  to  deteriorate. 

The  quantity  and  composition  of  the  blood  can  be  influ- 
enced by  food  and  drink.  The  latter  also  affect  other  important 
organs,  viz.,  the  ductless  glands,  which  in  turn  exert  an  influ- 
ence on  the  formation  of  the  blood  and  the  blood-pressure. 
When  the  food  is  limited  in  quantity,  or  especially  when  it  is 
not  suitable  and  adequate  in  its  constituents,  these  organs  are 


400  Health  Through  Rational  Diet. 

poorly  supplied  with  blood  and  their  activity  is  impaired ;  when, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  food  contains  too  large  an  amount  of 
certain  stimulating  substances,  such  as  the  extractives  of  meat, 
long-continued  overactivity,  giving  rise  to  exhaustion,  inac- 
tivity, and  degeneration  of  these  very  important  organs,  upon 
which  depend  the  entire  aggregate  metabolic  and  nutritive 
processes  of  all  organs  and  tissues,  is  the  result.  In  this 
manner,  as  I  have  set  forth  in  my  work  on  "Old  Age  De- 
ferred," age  comes  on  and  the  span  of  life  is  shortened.  This 
is  brought  about  by  undernutrition  on  the  one  hand  and  over- 
nutrition  on  the  other.  Undernutrition  prevents  young  people 
from  attaining  a  ripe  old  age,  and  overnntrition  carries  those 
of  advanced  age  prematurely  to  their  grave.  Consequently  the 
requirements  are:  (i)  more  nourishing  food  for  the  young, 
growing  organism,  and  (2)  moderation  in  the  succeeding 
periods  of  life.  In  childhood  and  in  old  age  the  diet  is  very 
similar.  The  aged  person  can  manage  well  with  few  calories ; 
if,  however,  he  absorbs  too  many,  especially  in  such  substances 
as  will,  like  meat,  impose  more  work  upon  his  already  some- 
what impaired  ductless  glands,  the  diminished  activity  of  these 
protective  organs  will  cause  the  retention  of  injurious  sub- 
stances, and,  hence,  autointoxication.  The  milk-egg-vegetable 
diet  is  consequently  not  only  that  best  adapted  for  an  old 
person,  but  also  for  one  of  middle  age,  since  by  it  the  ductless 
glands  are  well  protected  and  kept  in  good  condition  until  an 
advanced  age,  thus  deferring  old  age  for  a  considerable  time. 
Indeed,  we  consider  this  diet  as  the  most  rational  one  for  the 
attainment  of  the  longest  possible  period  of  life  in  man,  as  well 
as  for  the  preservation  of  the  freshness  of  youth  for  the  longest 
possible  time.  In  the  work  already  named  I  have  cited  several 
instances  in  which  men  lived  to  be  over  100  years  old  on  such 
a  diet.  These  long-lived  persons  were,  with  very  few  excep- 
tions, very  temperate  in  their  eating  and  drinking.  Sir  George 
Humphrey,  basing  himself  upon  the  inquiry  instituted  by  the 


Relationship  of  Food  to  Old  Age.  401 

British  Medical  Association  with  regard  to  centenarians, 
similarly  stated  that  they  were  very  moderate  in  regard  to 
eating ;  the  majority  took  very  little  meat.  Of  38  persons,  there 
was  only  i  who  ate  much  meat.  Very  few  indulged  in  alcohol. 
Anyone  who  is  the  offspring  of  healthy  parents  has  it  in  his 
power  to  live  to  the  age  of  100,  if  he  is  temperate  in  eating  and 
especially  in  drinking.  He  will  have  the  best  prospects  for  this 
result  if  he  is  careful  that  all  food  which  he  eats  is  perfectly 
fresh,  and  contains  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  unaltered 
curative  substances  which  have  been  allotted  to  it  by  provident 
Mother  Nature  for  our  welfare.  The  food  must  also  taste 
good.  Old  Father  Cats  was  more  or  less  right  when  he  said  in 
his  old  Dutch  dialect : — 

"Zy  bitter  of  zoet, 

Wat  smackt,  dat  voet." 
("Be  it  bitter  or  sweet, 
What  tastes  good  is  meet.") 


GLOSSARY, 


Acromegaly.    An  abnormal  development  of  the  extremities. 

Agglomerate.    Massed  together.    Aggregated. 

Albumin.     A  proteid,  animal  or  vegetable,  which  is  soluble  in  water 

and  coagulable  by  heat. 
Alexin.    Any  defensive  proteid. 
Alkaline.    Having  the  properties  of  an  alkali. 
Amin.     A   compound   derived  from   ammonia  by   the   substitution   of 

an  alcohol  radicle  for  hydrogen. 
Amylopsin.    A  ferment  of  pancreatic  juice. 
Anemia.    Deficiency  of  the  blood  in  quantity  or  quality,  either  general 

or  local. 
Arteriosclerosis.    The  hardening  of  the  arterial  walls. 
Assimilation.    The  process  of  transforming  and  absorbing  food  in  the 

organism. 

Basedow's  Disease,  Graves's  Disease.  A  disease  marked  by  protrusion 
of  the  eyes,  enlarged  thyroid  gland,  anemia,  and  overaction  of  the 
heart. 

Beriberi.  An  East-Indian  microbic  disease  characterized  by  weakness, 
anemia,  dropsy,  dyspnea,  and  paraplegia. 

Buccal.    Pertaining  to  the  hollow  part  of  the  cheek. 

Caloric.    Pertaining  to  heat  or  its  principle. 

Calorie.    The  amount  of  heat  necessary  to  raise  1  kilogram  of  water 

1°  C. 
Carbohydrates.     Compounds  of  water  with  hydrogen  and  oxygen,  the 

latter  being  in  the  proportion  to  form  water. 
Casein.    A  derived  albumin. 

Cellulose.    The  predominating  element  of  plant-tissue. 
Chlorophyll.    The  green  coloring  matter  of  leaves. 
Cirrhosis.    Thickening  of  the  connective  tissue  of  an  organ. 
CoUemia,    A  glutinous  or  colloid  state  of  the  blood. 
Creatin.      A    neutral    organic    substance    that    occurs    in    the    animal 

organism,  especially  in  the  juice  of  muscles. 
Cretin.     An  idiot  afflicted  with  goiter  and  a  deficient  development  of 

the  organism. 
Cryoscopy.     Accurate  determination  of  the  freezing  point  of  liquids 

and   solutions,   especially   of  the   body,   as   blood,   urine,   etc.,   for 

clinical  study. 

Dementia  Praecox.    Any  form  of  dementia  beginning  at  puberty  and 
marked  by  negativism,  stereotypy,  mannerisms,  and  verbigeration. 
Dextrin.    A  soluble,  gummy  substance  obtained  from  starch. 

(403) 


404  Glossary. 


Dextrose.    A  sugar  of  the  glucose  group. 

Diabetes.    The  sugar  disease. 

Diabetes  Mellitus.  A  disorder  of  metabolism  characterized  by  chronic 
hyperglycemia  and  glycosuria  on  a  diet  not  containing  excessive 
amounts  of  sugar,  and  associated  with  polyuria,  polydipsia,  poly- 
phagia, emaciation,  often  with  dryness  of  the  mouth  and  skin,  and 
sometimes  with  boils,  carbuncles,  spontaneous  gangrene,  loss  of 
sexual  power,  or  nervous  affections. 

Diuresis.    Abnormal  increase  in  the  secretion  of  urine. 

Ductless  Glands.     Glands  without  an  excretory  dact. 

Dulcin.    A  sweet  crystalline  substance  used  as  a  substitute  for  sugar. 

Emphysema.    A  distention  of  the  tissues  with  air  or  other  gases. 

Endogenous.    Originating  within  the  body. 

Epithelium,  -lia.     Epithelial  cells:   cells  which  form  the  surface  of  the 

skin,  mucous  membranes,  and  line  all  canals  having  communication 

with  the  external  air. 

Glucose.    Grape-sugar,  starch-sugar. 
Gluten.    A  substance  resembling  albumin. 
Glycogen.    Animal  starch  found  in  blood  and  liver. 
Graminivorous.    Feeding  on  grass  and  like  food. 

Hemialbumose.     An  albumose  that  is  converted  by  further  digestive 

activity  into  hemipeptone. 
Hemoglobin.    The  coloring  matter  of  the  red  blood-corpuscles. 
Herbivorous.    Said  of  that  which  eats  vegetation. 
Hydremia.    A  watery  condition  of  the  blood. 
Hydrochloric.    Consisting  of  hydrogen  and  chlorine. 
Hyperacidity.    An  excess  of  acidity. 
Hyphomycetes.    Mold  fungi. 
Hypophysis.      The    pituitary    body,    called,    more    fully,    hypophysis 

cerebri. 

Inosite.    A  saccharine  substance  in  the  human  body. 
Inulin.    A  vegetable  principle. 

Kefir.    A  variety  of  fermented  milk. 

Kinase.    A  substance  that  converts  a  zymogen  into  an  enzyme. 

Larvae.    Immature  form. 

Lecithin.    A  phosphorized  substance  occurring  widely  in  the  body  and 

in  plant-tissues. 
Leucocyte.    The  white  corpuscle. 

Maltose.    A  sugar  derived  from  the  action  of  diastase  on  barley. 
Metabolism.    A  change  in  the  intimate  condition  of  cells,  constructive 

or  destructive. 
Mucilaginous.    Like  mucilage.    Ropy. 


Glossary.  405 


Nidus.    A  cluster.    A  focus  of  infection. 

Nuclein.     A  nitrogenous  constituent  of  cell-nuclei. 

Nucleoalbumin.    A  nuclein  from  cell-protoplasm. 

Nucleoproteids.  Any  of  a  class  of  compound  proteids  found  in  nearly 
all  cell-nuclei,  in  protoplasm,  etc.,  yielding,  with  alkalies,  proteid, 
and  nuclei  acid  as  cleavage  products  and  by  pepsin  digestion,  true 
nucleins. 

Opsonin.    That  quality  of  a  serum  which  makes  a  microbe  more  sus- 
ceptible to  phagocytosis. 
Osteomalacia.    A  morbid  softening  of  bone. 
Oxaluria.  Presence  of  calcium  in  the  urine  in  undue  proportions. 

Pancreatin.    A  ferment  from  the  juice  of  the  pancreas. 

Pellagra.     An  erythematous  skin  affection  with  severe  constitutional 

and  nervous  symptoms  endemic  in  northern  Italy,  and  attributed 

to  use  of  spoiled  maize. 
Peptone.    A  proteid  body  produced  by  the  action  of  digestion. 
Peripheral.    Pertaining  to  the  periphery. 
Peristalsis.    The  vermicular  motion  of  the  bowels. 
Phagocytosis.    The  destruction  of  microbes  by  the  action  of  phago- 
cytes. 
Phosphaturia.    The  presence  in  the  urine  of  phosphates. 
Polyneuritis.    Affecting  several  nerves. 
Prostatitis.    Inflammation  of  the  prostate  gland. 
Proteids.    A  general  term  for  the  albumin  and  albuminoid  constituents 

of  the  organism. 
Protein.    The   sulphur-free   residue   of  a  proteid  after  the  action   of 

caustic  potash. 
Ptyalin.    A  starch-converting  ferment  of  saliva. 
Purin.     Unclean   or   poisonous    substance   foreign   to   our   alimentary 

organism. 
Pylorus.    The  opening  of  the  stomach  into  the  duodenum. 
Pyorrhea,  Alveolar.     Progressive   necrosis   of  the   dental   alveoli,   or 

teeth  sockets.    The  death  of  a  circumscribed  piece  of  tissue. 

Rennet.    An  infusion  of  the  inner  coat  of  a  calf's  stomach. 

Spermatozoa.     Male  sexual  cells  or  sperm  cells  of  an  animal,  whose 

function  is  the  fertilization  of  the  tgQ. 
Staphylococci.     Fission  fungi.     Bacteria. 
Stenosis.    A  narrowing  or  constriction. 
Streptococci.    Form  of  genus  of  Schizomycetes  of  which  the  cocci  are 

arranged  in  strings.    A  form  of  bacteria. 
Sulphate  Ammonium.    Combination  of  a  salt  of  sulphuric  acid  and  the 

hypothetic  base  of  ammonia. 

Therapy,  Therapeutics.  That  branch  of  medical  science  concerned 
with  the  application  of  remedies  and  the  treatment  of  disease. 


406  Glossary. 


Thyroid  Gland.  A  reddish  organ,  one  of  the  so-called  ductless  glands, 
giving  rise  to  one  or  more  internal  secretions  and  situated  in  front 
and  on  either  side  of  the  trachea. 

Toxalbumins.  Poisonous  soluble  albuminoids  producing  specific  dis- 
eases. 

Trichina.  A  genus  of  nematode  (thread-like)  worms,  of  which  one 
species,  the  spiralis,  is  parasitic  in  the  hog  and  at  times  in  man. 

Trichinosis.  A  disease  produced  by  the  ingestion  of  pork  containing 
the  Trichina  spiralis. 

Trypsin.  A  ferment  of  pancreatic  juice  which  has  the  power  of  con- 
verting proteids  into  peptones,  best  in  alkaline  solution,  but  also 
active  in  neutral  solution. 


LIST  OF  DISEASES. 


Acetonuria,  217 

Acid  eructations,  113,  208,  235,  317 

Acid  fermentation,  95,  113,  329 

Acromegaly,  20 

Anemia,  75,  163,  336 

Appendicitis,  306 

Arteriosclerosis,  17,  50,  78,  108,  139, 
150,  221,  238,  247,  250,  281,  290, 
308,  312,  325,  326,  340,  348,  399 

Atrophy  of  jaws,  399 

Autointoxication,  400 

Barlow's  disease,  21,  69,  229,  230 
Basedow's  disease,  20,  21,  67,  69 
Beriberi,  21,  69,  229.  230,  231,  2Z2 
Bladder  disorders,  297 
Brain  diseases,  378 
Bronchial  catarrh,  332 

Catarrh  of  bladder,  255 

Catarrh  of  stomach,  Z6,  320 

Chlorosis,  75,  163 

Cholera,  32,  266 

Cirrhosis  of  liver,  108,  326 

Climacteric,  377 

Colic,  34,  41,  286,  307,  353 

Collemia,  53 

Constipation,  44,  215,  253,  279,  287, 

290,  354,  356,  391 
Cramps,  157 
Cretinism,  11,  375,  381 

Defective  development  of  testicles, 
377 

Dementia  prsecox,  Z7Z,  2>77 

Diabetes,  20,  52,  53,  54,  94,  108,  135, 
139,  161,  164,  170,  208,  209,  218, 
222,  225,  228,  229,  237,  238,  246, 
250,  255,  256,  258,  263,  268,  276, 
281,  290,  304,  308,  316,  325,  326, 
330,  340,  349,  393 

Diarrhea.  45,  78,  116,  124,  196,  266, 
281,  287,  320,  326,  339 

Dilatation  of  stomach,  107,  354 

Diphtheria,  174 

Eczema,  155,  253 
Edema,  76 
Emphysema,  288 
Epilepsy,  69,  230,  378 


Fatty  degeneration,  170 

Fevers,  290,  303 

Flatulence,  196,  207,  208,  238,  247, 

251,  252,  253,  257,  342,  353,  354, 

355 

Gall-bladder  disease,  41 
Gall-stones,  40,  41,  288,  297,  348 
Goiter,  377 

Gonorrhea,  acute,  199 
Gonorrhea,  chronic,  199,  390 
Gout,  25,  53,  7Z,  108,  120,  135,  150, 
154,  170,  208,  221,  238,  250,  256, 
257,  276,  280,  288,  290.  297,  304, 
307,  317,  318,  326,  340,  348,  358, 
360,  374,  399 

Headache,  44 

Heart  disease,  78,  170,  228,  247 
Hemorrhoids,  297 
Hysteria,  253,  316,  349,  379 

Idiocy,  373 

Impotence,  389,  390 

Intestinal    catarrh,    158,    218,    259, 

266,  281,  287,  320 
Intestinal   disorders,  150,   199,  208, 

235,  239,  252,  271,  281,  302,  345, 

349 

Jaundice,  165,  230,  238.  240 

Kidney  diseases,  76,  115,  134,  254, 
255,  261,  265,  288,  297,  358 

Liver,  diseases  of,  49,  135,  228,  288, 
326 

Malnutrition,  98,  99,  100.  104,  108, 

381,  397,  398 
Melancholia,  2,77,  378 
Menstrual  disorders,  253 
Mental  depression,  44,  260 
Mental  disturbances,  374,  378,  379 

Nausea,  44 

Nervous  depression,  162 

Nervous  dyspepsia,  23,  180 

(407) 


408 


List  of  Diseases. 


Nervousness,  17,  313,  315,  317,  324, 

326,  345,  374,  379,  390 
Neurasthenia,  23,  35,  162,  180,  349, 

379 

Obesity,  94,  108,  111,  206,  229.  238, 
240,  256,  257,  288,  325,  340,  349. 
362,  363 

Osteomalacia,  20,  21,  71,  374 

Ovarian  insufficiency,  391 

Ovaries,  diseases  of,  377,  390 

Overacidity  of  stomach,  34,  38, 
181,  238,  240,  276,  308,  312,  345 

Oxalic  acid  diathesis,  223 

Oxaluria,  254 

Pellagra,  230,  231,  232 
Pharyngeal  catarrh,  332 
Phosphaturia,  251 
Polyneuritis,  21,  69,  229,  378 
Pregnancy,  60,  377 
Prostate,  diseases  of,  256 
Prostatitis,  20,  256,  390 
Psychic  disturbances,  377 
Pyorrhoea  alveolaris,  25 


Rachitis,  71,  73 
Rashes,  281,  309 
Renal  calculi,  326,  349 

Scurvy,  21 

Sexual  apathy,  390 

Sexual  exhaustion,  387 

Skin  diseases,  254,  288 

Stomach    disorders,    107,   235,   303, 

312,  320,  345 
Strangury,  256 
Syphilis,  17,  108 

Throat  inflammation,  chronic,  282 
Tuberculosis,   97,    99,    101    to    106, 

120,   133,  138,  164,  174,  177,  230, 

336,  364,  391 
Typhoid   fever,   79,    157,    158,    174, 

195,  253 

Uric  acid  diathesis,  313 
Urticaria,  158 

Varicocele,  377,  390 
Vesical  calculi,  326 


INDEX. 


Acetone  bodies,  94,  201 
Acid  fermentation,  113,  287 
Acromegalj%  378 
Adrenals,  55,  66,  67 
Age,  83,  84 
Aging,  398 
Albumin,  58 

animal,  137 

decomposition  of,  44 
-  ingestion  of,  60,  94 

nourishment,  48 
Alcohol,  28,  34,  36,  51,  53,  323,  359 
Alcoholic  drinks,  2)22>  to  327 
Ale,  324 

Alicante  grapes,  284 
Almonds,  293,  296,  298 
Anemia,  75,  163,  336 
Anis,  333 

Anthropoid  apes,  101 
Appetite,  90 
Apple  cider,  278 

juice,  277,  278,  279 

tea,  277,  278 

wine,  278 
Apples,  274,  275,  276,  277 

"kostliche,"  276 
Apricots,  274,  275,  276,  279 
Arsenic,  66,  77,  163 
Arteriosclerosis,    50,    78,    134,    139, 
238,  247,  284,  288,  312,  325, 
326,  348,  355 
Artichokes,  257 
Asparagin,  238,  255 
Asparagus,  247,  255,  391 
Asses'  milk,  176 
Aztecs,  145 

Bacterial  action,  44 

in  milk,  174 
Bananas,  273,  299,  344,  364,  395 

dried,  301 
Barley,  212,  217 
Barlow's   disease,  21,  69 
Batates  (sweet  potatoes),  234,  236 
Bay  leaves,  333 
Bean  foods,  207 

puree  soup,  207 
Beans,  207,  267,  357 

assimilation  of,  267 

green,  267,  356 

horse,  388 

soy,  208 


Beans,  string,  267 
Beef,  110,  118 
Beer,  323,  324 

Bavarian,  364 

dark,  324 
Beet  sugar,  329 
Beets,  262 
Beriberi,  21,  69,  230 
Berries,  280,  281,  282 
Berry  wines,  326 
Bilberry,  27,  272,  282,  289,  290 

juice,  289,  290 
Bile,  40,  41 

activity  of,  40,  41 
Biliner  water,  359 
Biscuit   (zwieback),  224 
Black  bread,  356 
Blackberries,  282 
Bladder,  catarrh  of,  255 

stones  in,  325,  326 
Blood,  51,  77,  99,  381 

albumin  content  of,  51 

alkalinity  of,  248 

composition  of,  51 

hemoglobin  content  of,  51 

lack  of,  327 

osmotic  tension  of,  65 
Blood-pressure,  312 

increase  of,  134 
Blood-pudding  (sausage),  125 
Blood-soup  of  Spartans,  15 
Blueberries,  281 
Boletus  bulbosus,  243,  244 

luteus,  243 
Bonbons,  321 
Bones  as  food,  126 
Borax,  115 
Bordeaux  plums,  279 

wines,  325 
Boric  acid,  115,  267,  291 
Bouillon,  90,  139 
Brain,  126 

diseases  of,  378 

functions  of,  72) 

phosphorus  content  of,  69,  355 

worker,  diet  of,  379 
Bran,  214 
Bread,  dark,  223 

white,  223,  380 
Breads,    table    of    composition    of, 

224 
Breakfast,  92,  93 

(409) 


410 


Index. 


Brie  cheese,  186,  187 
Brimsen  cheese,   186 
Bronchial  catarrh,  332 
Brun,  324 

Brussels  sprouts,  247,  258 
Buckwheat,  212,  218 

meal,  213 

nutritive  salts  of,  218 
Burgundy,  325 
Butter,  82,  189,  191 

cabbage,  247 

milk,  183,  184,  185 

Cabbage,  nutritive  salts  contained 
in,  248 

red.  247 
Cafifeine,  311,  312 
Calcium  metabolism,  374 
Calories,  59 
Calves'  brains,  43,  350 
Camenbert  cheese,  186 
Cane  sugar,  42,  329,  343 
Cannibalism,  81 
Capacity,  intellectual,  372 
Capers,  333 
Capon,  117 
Caraway  seeds,  333 
Carbohydrate  diet,  95 

food,  57,  95 
Carbohydrates,  57,  62,  394 
Carbonic  acid,  98 
Caribou,  114 
Carp,  151,  352 
Carrots,  74 
Casein,  35,  184 
Cassava,  239 
Castrated  animals,  142 
Castration,  71,  377 

of  animals,  117 
Catalyzers,  66 

Cauliflower,  247,  248,  251,  257 
Caviar,  167,  385 
Celery,  253,  262,  391 
Cell  nuclei,  109 
Cellulose,  338 

digestion  of,  43 
Centenarians,     inquest     regarding, 

401 
Cereals,  212,  344 
Ceres  fruit  juices,  290 
Cheese,  28,  172,  185,  347,  382 

Cheddar,  186 

Dutch,  186 

Liptauer,  186 

nutrient    salt    content    of    Swiss 
cheese,  187 

table  of  composition  of  varieties 
of,  187 
Cherries,  274,  275,  282 


Cherries,  dried,  284 
Cherry  juice,  289,  290 
Chestnut  puree,  238 
Chestnuts,  291,  292 

nutritive  salts  in,  293 
Chewing  gum,  27 
Chicken,  117,  142 
Chicory,  253,  254,  310 
Chives,  333 
Chlorophyll,  251 
Chocolate,  318 
Cholera  bacilli,  175 
Cider,  278 
Cinnamon,  228,  334 
Clover,  197 
Cocoa,  318 

Dutch,  320 

nutritive  salt  content  of,  319 
Cocoanut,  292,  293,  296 
Codfish,  147,  148,  152 
Codliver  oil,  200,  386 
Coffee,  50,  254,  309 

caffeine-free,  344 

Carlsbad,  311 

nutritive  salt  content  of,  311 
Cognac,  327 
Cold,  63 

Cold-storage  rooms,  114 
Colman  grapes,  287 
Concrement,  uric  acid,  308 
Constipation,  44,  284 
Convent  (nunnery),  391 
Cooking,  84,  173,  340 

lessons,  87 

of  fish,  84 

of  meat,  112 

of  vegetables,  73,  84 

salt,  77.  237 
Copra,  292 
Corn,  196,  212,  230,  240 

flour,  213 
nutrient  salt  content  of,  223 

grains,  nutrient  salt   content  of, 
223 
Cottonseed  oil,  201,  292 
Cows'  milk,  170 
Crabs,  158,  159,  387 
Cream,  182,  190,  363,  364 

cheeses,  186,  364 

of  wheat,  221 

sauce,  367 

whipped,  183 
Cress,  252 
Cryoscopy,  76 
Cucumber,  265 
Curative  herbs,  253 
Currant  juice,  289 
Currants,  272,  274,  275,  281 
Cystase,  338 


Index. 


411 


Dates,  297 

Diabetes,  52,  154,  237,  238,  240,  255, 

276,  308,  326,  340 
Diarrhea,  281,  326 

chronic,  302 
Diathesis,  uric  acid,  313 
Diet,  influence  of,  on  growth,  12 
mind  and  temperament,  17 
nervous  system,  17 
organs  of  digestion,  28 
physical    appearance,    12 
size  of  body,  12 
teeth,  throat,  and  vocal   appa- 
ratus, 24 
in  various  ages,  83 
climates,  81 
seasons,  82 
non-residual,  355 
of  both  sexes,  84 
one-sided,  94 
rich  in  phosphorus,  74 
Digestibility,  90 
of   foods   in    stomach   and   intes- 
tine, 43,  47 
table  of,  352 
Digestion,  stimulation  of,  134 
Digestive  juices,  29 
Dilatation  of  stomach,  107,  354 
Diphtheria,  174 
Drinking,  399 
v^^ater,  77 
hard,  80 

lime  containing,  26 
Drinks,  alcoholic,  323 

hot,  90 
Duck,  123 

meat,  123 
Ducks  of  Rouen,  141 
Ductless  glands,  140,  399 
Dulcin,  330 
Dwarfs,  tribes  of,  10,  11 

Eating,  mode  of,  88 

rapid,  89 
Eel,  147,  149,  150 
Eggs,  70,  160,  380,  383 

duck,  163 

hard-boiled,  160 

nutritive  salt  content  of,  162,  163 
value  of,  161,  162 

raw,  160 

soft-boiled,  160 
Emphysema,  288 
Enciamada,  322 
Endive,  254,  267 
Enemas,  47 
Epilepsy,  69 
Erepsin,  33,  39 
Erlauer  wine,  325 


Eruptions  caused  by  food,  14 
Eunuchs,  377 
Evening  meal,  91,  92 
Export  cheeses,  187 
Extractive     substances,     130,     139, 
141,  143,  151 

Faro,  324 

Fats,  38,  39,  42,  55,  59,  63,  94 

animal,  200,  201 

metabolism  of,  55 
Fattening  cures,  363 
Fatty  acids,  292 

cheeses,  186,  187 

diet,  42 
Fear  of  death,  142 
Feces,  45,  340,  355,  357 
Fennel,  333 
Ferment,  39 
Fertilizing,  5 
Field  beans,  204 

(horse  beans),  388 

mushrooms,  243,  244 

salad,  268 
Figs,  273,  274,  275 
Fish,  64,  379 

diet,  144,  380,  387 
advantages  of,  152 

eating,  384,  385 

milt,  151 

roe,  151,  153,  167 

table  of  nutritive  substance  con- 
tent, 147 

without  scales,  146 
Flatulence,  353,  354,  355 

causing  foods,  353 
Flour  foods,  218,  342,  343 

table    of    composition    of   varieties 
of,  213 
Flying,  393 
P'ogosch,  155 
Food,  insufiiciency  of,  96,  97 

temperature  of,  33 
Foods,  assimilability  of,  42,  45 

difficult  to  digest,  350 

easily  digested,  350 

fattening,  363 

fatty,  201 

hot,  90 

rich  in  nuclein,  385 
phosphorus,  374 
Frankenthal  grapes,  284 
Fright  products,  141 
Fruit  diet,  270,  306 

eaters,  337 

eating,  306 

juices,  289 
table  of  composition  of,  289 

vinegar,  333 


412 


Index. 


Fruit  wines,  333 
Fruits,  constituents  of,  273 
fatty,    table    of    composition    of, 

293 
nutrient  salt  content  of,  275 
sugar  content  of,  258 
table  of  nutrient  salt  content  of, 

275 
table  of   sugar  and  acid  content 
of,  272 
Fungi,  241  to  246 
calorie  content  of,  244 
digestibility  of,  244 
lecithin  content  of,  245 
nutrient  salt  content  of,  246 
phosphorus  content  of,  245 
table  of  composition  of,  243 
dried,  243 

Gall,  40,  41 

activity  of,  40,  41 
Gall-stones,  40,  41,  288 
Game,  wild,  113,  365 
Garbanzos,  206 
Garden  beans,  204 

peas,  267 

strawberries,  280 
Garlic,  333 

Gas,  formation  of,  354 
Gases,  43,  44,  353 
Gastric  juice,  30,  32,  34,  35,  78 

psychic,  96 
Gelatin,  62 
Gervais  cheese,  364 
Gianduia  di  Torino,  321 
Giesshiibler  mineral  water,  359 
Ginger,  333 

Goats'  milk,  175,  176,  178 
Goose,  112,  123 

fat,  351 

-liver  patties,  125 

meat,  38 
Gooseberries,  272,  274,  275,  281 
Gout,  73,  139,  154,  256,  284,  288,  290, 
307,  313,  325,  340,  348,  358, 
374 
Gouty  patients,  208 
Graham  bread,  224,  225 

Swedish,  201 
Grains,  212 

table  of  composition  of,  212 
Grape  cures,  288 
Grapefruit,  302,  357 
Grapes,  272,  274,  275,  284,  286,  288 
Gravel  (kidney  disease),  325 
Ground  nuts,  293,  295,  343 
Growth,  58,  72 
Gruyere  cheese,  187 


Guavas,  304 
Gudgeons,  380 

Haddock,  152 

Ham,  120,  350,  355 

Hardening    of    arteries,    see    Arte- 
riosclerosis. 

Hare,  124,  125 

Hazelnuts,  293,  295 

Head  salad,  248,  268 

Heart,  50 

Helvella  lacunosa,  243,  244 

Herring,  146,  150 

Hindoos,  diet  of,  15 

Hog,  119 

Honey,  25,  70 

Horse  beans,  388 

Horse  radish,  263 

Hot  drinks,  90 

Hotels,  365 

Hot-house  grapes,  284 

Hungarian  wine,  325 

Hunger,  48,  362 

Husk  vegetables,  261 

Hydrochloric   acid,   30,   31,   32,   34, 
37,  38 
content  of  stomach,  37 

Hypophysis,  11,  55 

Ice-cream,  328,  330 

soda,  330 
Immunity,  101,  102 
Impotence,  388 
Indian  corn,  230 
Inns,  365 
Insomnia,  312 
Intellectual  capacity,  374 

influence  of  food  upon,  18 
Intelligence,  374,  377 
Intestinal  catarrh,  259,  287,  290 

disturbances,  239 

putrefaction,  285 
Intestine,  37 

bacteria  of,  44 

movements  of,  41 
Iodine,  67,  68,  76,  77 
Iron,  67,  68,  74,  75,  77,  176,  314,  387 

content  of  blood,  74,  75 

in  foods,  75 

preparations,  75 

Jaws,  atrophy  of,  399 

Jellies,  289 

Jogurt,  179,  181,  348,  357 

Kaiser  pears,  278 
Kaki,  304,  305 
Kefir,  179,  180,  348 
Kemirinut,  295 


Index. 


413 


Kidney  diseases,  255 

patients,  240 
Kidneys  as  food,  126 
Kinase,  39 
Kohlrabi,  263 
Koran,  297 
Koumiss,  179,  180 
Krondorfer  mineral  water,  359 

Labor,  16 

Lactase,  42 
Lactic  acid,  287 
Lager  beer,  324 
Lamb  kidneys,  126 

meat,   119,  351 
Lambic  (Belgian  beer),  23 
Laxative  foods,  356,  357 
Lecithin,  69,  70,  125,  162,  172,  205, 
331,  374 

assimilation,  70 

content  in  foods,  74 
Leguininous  vegetables,  202,  356 
digestibility  of,  43 
nutritive  salt  content  of,  204 
table  of  composition  of,  204 
Lemon,  275,  302,  333 

juice,  268,  333 
Lentils,  204,  205,  354 
Libido,  22 
Lichees,  305 

Liebig's  meat  extract,  131 
Lime,  20,  21,  66,  68,  103,  373 

content  of  foods,  73 

elimination  of,  20 

metabolism,  374 
Linseed  oil,  292 
Liver,  48,  49,  50,  135 

cirrhosis   of,   108,  326 
Lobster,  158,  387 
Longevity,  397  to  401 

Macaroni,  219,  220 
Madeira,  327 
Maizena,  337 
Malaga,  327 

grapes,  298 
Malic  acid,  285 
Malt  cocoa,  321 
Maltase,  41 
Manganese,  274 
Mango,  304 
Mangoguani,  14 
Manihot,  239 
Manioc,  234,  239 
Maori,  81 

Maple  syrup,  221,  328,  343 
Marjoram,  333 
Marmalades,  291 
Marrow,  126 


Masais,  101 

food  of  the,  15 
Mastication,  26 
Mate,  316 

nutritive  salts  in,  316 
Meals,  division  of,  88,  91 
Meat,  144,  401 

assimilation  of.  111,  113 

bouillon,  139 

cooked,  139 

diet,  41 

diet  of  the  Eskimos,  10 

digestibility  of,  112 

eaters,  19,  70 

extractives  of,  54 

extracts,  90,  129 
composition  of,  130 

nutritive  contents  of,  111 

poisonous  action  of,  117 

preserved,  115 

raw,  138 

roasted,  112 

soups,  129 

various  kinds  of,  111 
Medlars,  272,  273 
Melancholia,  378 
Men,  diet  for,  84 
Mental  state,  47 
Metabolism,  overloading  of,  108 
Midday  meal,  91 
Milk,  83,  96,  106,  169 

assimilation  of,  171 

composition  of  various  kinds  of, 
171 

diet,  172,  193,  339 
advantage  of,  339 

digestibility  of,  170 

food,  193 

hot,  198 

products,  197 

raw,  195 

sour,  179 

sterilized,  171,  195 

table  of  nutritive  salt  content  of, 
170 
Milk-egg-vegetable  diet,  139,  382 
Milk-egg  vegetarianism,  382 
Milking,  174 
Millet,  212,  218 
Mineral  metabolism,  65,  67 

waters,  353,  359 
laxative,  45 
Minimums,  law  of,  65 
Mixed  pickles,  270 
Moderation,  398 
Montezuma,  145,  318 
Morchella  elata,  242,  243,  244 
Mosel  wine,  325 
Mouth  and  hoof  disease,  174 


414 


Index. 


Mulberries,  272,  282 

Muranas,  149 

Muscular  efforts,  312,  321 

fatigue,  393 

strength,  increase  of,  392 

work,  source  of,  61,  63 
Mushrooms,  241,  245,  268 

calories,  contents  of,  244 

digestibility  of,  244 

table  of  composition  of,  243 
Mussels,  158 
Mustard  oil,  264 

Nectar,  331 

Nerves,  diseases  of,  326 

Nervous  affections,  326 

system,  17,  20,  130,  133 
Nitrogen,  57,  58 

balance,  96 
Non-residual  diet,  355 
Noodles,  219 

Nucleins,  70,  109,  136,  138,  376 
Nucleoproteids,  385 
Nunnery,  391 
Nutritive  salts,  63,  172,  373,  398 

substances,  importance  of  various, 
57 
Nuts,  292,  293 

nutritive  salts  of,  295 

Oat  flakes,  216 

flour,  213 
puree  of,  216 

gruel,  216 
Oats,  212,  216,  342 

nutritive  salts  of,  217 
Obesity,  257,  288,  362 
Ofener  wine,  325 
Oleomargarine,  189,  191,  192 
Olive,  268 

oil,  268,  351 
Onions,  333 

Oranges,  272,  275,  302,  303 
Osteomalacia,  20,  374 
Ovarian  extract,  363 
Ovaries,  70,  363 
Overnutrition,  107,  108 
Ox,  116 

Oxalic  acid,  251,  309,  319,  323 
Oxaluria,  254 
Oxygen,  98 
Oyster  plant,  256,  262 
Oysters,  157 

Pancakes,  219,  221 
Pancreas,  39,  40,  52,  54,  67 
action   of  food   on   secretion    of, 
41 
Pancreatic  juice,  38,  40,  96 


Pancreatin,  38,  39 
Paprika,  333 

Parmesan  cheese,  187,  J88 
Parsley,  253,  333 
Partridge,  122 
Peach  juice,  289 
Peaches,  272,  273,  279 
Pear  cider,  278 

juice,  278 
Pears,  272,  273,  275,  278 
Peas,  204,  266 

green  garden,  247 
Pellagra,  231 
Pepper,  332,  333 
Pepsin,  32,  33,  35,  113,  338 
Pfalz  wines,  325 
Pharyngeal  catarrh,  332 
Pharyngitis,  chronic,  282 
Pheasant,  122 
Phosphatic  calculi,  349 
Phosphaturia,  251 

Phosphorus,  20,  21,  66,  67,  68,  69, 
70,  126,  138,  147,  373,  375. 
379,  386 

assimilation  of,  70 

content  in  foods,  72 

elimination  of,  20 

lack  of,  21 

metabolism,  67,  378 

organic  combinations  of,  376 

retention,  376 
Pig,  119 

lard,  201 
Pigeon,  112,  123,  393 
Pike,  154 
Pineapple,  304 
"Pisangs,"  300 
Pistachio  nuts,  293 
Plum  kernels,  307 

marmalade,  291 
Plums,  279 

California,  279,  357 

dried,  279 
Polyneuritis,  229 
Pork,  38,  119 

and  beans,  207 

lard,  201 
Port  wine,  327 
Porter,  325 
Potash  salt,  76 
Potato  noodles,  294 

puree,  235,  238 

sweet,  238 
Potatoes,  234 

composition  of,  226 

digestibility  of,  235 

in  noodles,  219 

mashed,  355 

nutritive  salts  of,  237 


Index. 


415 


Potatoes,  roasted,  355 
Potency,  sexual,  22 
Priests,  diet  of  Egyptian,  384 
Principal  meal,  92 
Prosecretion,  38 
Prostate,  diseases  of,  256 
Prostatitis,  390 
Prunes,  272,  274,  275 
Psychic  disturbances,  377 
Puberty,  58,  72,  104,  135,  164,  328 
Puff  beans,  green,  247 
Pumpernickel,  224,  225 
Pumpkin,  265 

Purin   bases,   52,   109,    150,   151,  208, 
221,  359,  361 
bodies,  348,  360 

Rachitis,  71,  72 
Radishes,  262,  263 
Raisins,  228,  298 
Rapid  eating,  89 
Raspberries,  272,  273,  281 
Raspberry  juice,  289 
Red  cabbage,  247,  258 
Rennet  coagulation,  73 
Restaurant,  vegetarian,  368 
Rhein  wines,  325 
Rhubarb,  254 
Rice,  226,  298,  334,  343,  347 

as  diet  of  nations,  15 

eating,  226 

nourishment,  19 

nutritive  salts  in,  227,  228 

polished,  212,  229 
Rickets  (see  Rachitis). 
Roasted  meat,  112 
Root  vegetables,  nutritive  salt  con- 
tent of,  262 
table  of  composition  of,  262 
Roquefort  cheese,  187 
Rose  cabbage  (see  Brussels  Sprouts). 
Rye,  212 

bread,  224 

flour,  213,  215 

Saccharin,  291,  328,  330 
Saffron,  333,  334 
Sago,  234,  239,  337,  343,  347 
Salads,  267,  268,  269 
Salicylic  acid,  115,  291 
Saliva,  24,  25,  26,  27 

secretion  of,  26,  160 
Salmon,  147,  150,  153 
Salt,  63,  151 

Salvator  mineral  water,  359 
Sardine,  151 
Sarton,  209,  342 
Sauerkraut,  259,  260,  261 
Sausages,  125,  127,  128 


Savoy  cabbage,  247 

assimilation  of,  249 
Saxin,  330 

School  children,  cretinous,  381 
Scurvy,  21 
Sea  fish,  148 
Semen,  389 
Sexual  abstemiousness,  391 

activity,  384,  385,  386,  387 

apathy,  388,  389,  390 

glands,  11,  55,  141,  378,  389 

licentiousness,  389 

potency,  22,  389,  390 
Shark,  81 
Sheep's  milk,  171,  172,  175 

composition  of,  176 
Shellfish,  156 
Shrimps,  159 
Skim  milk,  183 
Slaughter-house  wastes,  125 
Sleep,  22 

Sleeplessness,  312 
Snails,  159 

Soja  bean,  208,  209,  210,  211 
Sole,  152 
Sorrel,  251,  252 
Spanish  peppers,  232 
Spermatozoa,  136,  385 
Spices,  332,  333,  334.  359 
Spinach,  247,  248,  251,  252 
Spleen,  67,  75 
Squab  (pigeon),  112,  123 
Starch,  45,  239 
Steaming,  112 

apparatus,  341 
Steapsin,  39 
Sterility,  390 
Stomach,  36,  188 

dilatation,  107,  354 

overacidity  of,  240,  345 
Stools,  45,  46,  339 
Stout,  324 

Strawberries,  272,  273,  275,  280,  281 
Strawberry  juice,  289 

wine,  327 
Strict  vegetarian,  336,  338 
Strictly   vegetarian    diet,   338,   340, 

342 
String  beans,  247 
Sugar,  328,  329,  330 

elimination  of,  237 

ingestion  of,  393 
Sulphur,  67 

Swedish  graham  bread,  201 
Sweet  potatoes,  238 
Sweetbreads,  52,  126,  136 

Table  d'hote  meals,  365,  370 
Tamale.  232 


416 


Index. 


Tannic  acid,  313,  314 

Tannin,  285 

Tapioca,  234,  239,  337,  343,  344,  351 

Tartaric  acid,  285 

Taste,  1 

elements  of   (flavoring),  109,  110 
Tea,  50,  51,  313,  314,  315 

black,  314 

digestibility  of,  315 

green,  314 

nutrient  salts  in,  314 
Temperament,  22,  23 
Testicular  extract,  378 

insufficiency,  377,  389 
Thein,  315 
Thirst,  376 

quenching  of,  376 
Thyroid  gland,  11,  54,  55,  67,  71,  72, 
75,    76,    106.    133,    134,    358, 
374,  375,  376,  389 
treatment,  377 
Tobacco,  28 
Tokay  wine,  327 
Tomato,  264 

sauerkraut,  260 
Tours,  food  taken  during  fatiguing, 

395 
Tropical  fruits,  269 
Trout,  151 
Truffle,  242,  243,  244,  245,  246 

white  German,  245 
Trypsin,  39 
Tuberculosis,  101,  102,  103,  104,  105, 

106,  133,  138,  164,  336 
Tubers,  261 
Turbot,  152 
Turkey,  121 

Turnips,   nutritive  content   of  yel- 
low, 261 

Teltower,  262 
Turtle,  159 
Typhoid  fever,  174 
Tyrolese  wine,  325 

Undernutrition,  379 
Urea,  49 

Uric  acid,  52,  109,  129,  139,  154,  161, 
193,  228,  240,  313 

diathesis,  313 

forming  foods,  358,  359,  360 

producers,  208,  374 


Vanilla,  334 
Veal,  111,  118,  119 
Vegetable  albumin,  202 

casein,  202 

diet,  43,  70 

eaters,  70 

fats,   201 

nutrition,  74 
Vegetables,  cooking  of,  73 

green,  246  to  259 

composition  of,  247,  248 

preserved,  267,  269 
Vegetarian  diet,  17.  336,  382,  383 
Vegetarianism,  336  to  340 
Vichy  water,  237 

Walnuts,  293,  294,  295 
Water,  33,  35,  77  to  80 

cress.  252,  253 

distilled,  310 

drinking,  79,  311 
Week  preservation  process,  269 
Wheat,  212 

flour,  213,  214 
coarse,  224 
fine,  223,  224 

nutritive  salts  of,  214 
Whey,  184,  185,  198 
Whipped  cream,  183 
Whisky,  82,  327 
White  bread,  222,  223,  380 

cabbage,  247,  248,  258,  259 

wine,  326 
Whole  corn  bread,  215 

milk,  183 

wheat  bread,  342 
Wild  duck,  122 

game,  113 

strawberries,  280 
Wine,  325 

Tyrolese,  325,  326,  327 

vinegar,  333 
Woman,  nursing,  68 
Woman's  milk,  172,  177 
Women,  diet  for,  84 
Work,  16,  393,  394 

Yellow  turnips,  261,  262 
Yolk  of  egg,  74,  75 
nourishment  in,  160 

Zwieback,  224 
Zylase,  44 


Other  Publications  of  F.  A.   Davis   Company ,  Philadelphia 

Consumption:   How  to  Prevent  It  and 
How  to  Live  With  It 

ITS  NATURE,  CAUSES,  PREVENTION,  MODE  OP  LIFE,  CLIMATE, 

EXERCISE,  FOOD,  AND  CLOTHING  NECESSARY  FOR 

ITS  CURE. 

By  N.  S.  DAVIS,  A.M.,  M.D. 

Second  Revised  Edition.     12mo.     172  pages.    Extra  Cloth.    $1.00,  net. 

MOST  families  unfortunately  give  little  attention  to  the  preven- 
tion of  Consumption  until  the  subject  has  been  brought  to 
their  notice  in  a  menacing  way.  The  author  v^ith  great 
clearness  has  set  forth  the  cardinal  principles  not  only  of  the  pre- 
vention of  the  disease,  but  of  its  hygienic  treatment  v^hen  established. 
This  work  provides  much  valuable  information  as  to  climates, 
diet,  exercise,  environment  and  family  safeguards  identified  with  the 
treatment  of  a  case  in  the  family  when  once  established. 

New  Orleans  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal. 

Dr.  Davis  has  written  a  thoroughly  practical  book.  He  handles  the  subject  fn  such  a 
way  that  the  Intelligrent  victim  of  consumption  can  read  it  with  profit.  It  is  the  kind  of  book 
which  the  physician  can  recommend  to  his  patients  and  their  relatives. 


Safeguarding  the  Special  Senses 

GENERAL  ADVICE  REGARDING  THE   USE  AND   PRESERVATION 
OF  THE  EYES,  EARS,  NOSE  AND  THROAT. 

BY 

HENRY  O.  REIK,  M.D. 

Illustrated  with  4  Full-page  Plates,  2  in  Colors.     12mo.     123  pages. 
Attractively  Bound  in  Cloth,  75  cents,  net. 

ANY  defect  in  the  sight,  hearing,  or  organs  of  speech  tremen- 
dously reduces  a  person's  efficiency.  A  neglected  child  there- 
fore may  reasonably  be  expected  to  later  on  blame  the 
parents  who  failed  in  their  duty.  Adults  who  are  careless  about 
colds  affecting  the  ears,  or  who  defer  the  use  of  glasses  when 
necessary,  may  rightly  expect  the  onset  of  defective  hearing  or 
cataract  in  their  later  years. 

It  is  said  that  probably  50  per  cent,  of  the  practice  of  specialists 
is  made  up  of  attempts  to  remedy  the  results  of  these  forms  of 
neglect. 

The  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal. 

Such  a  book  as  this  should  find  an  especially  useful  place  amone  the  laity  as  well  as  in 
the  profession.  In  fact,  the  simplicity  of  style  is  such  that  persons  of  small  medical  tralnloBr 
would  find  It  entirely  understandable. 


Other  Publications  of  F.  A.   Davis    Company ,  Philadelphia 


Health  and  Beauty 


BY 

JOHN  V.  SHOEMAKER,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

Royal  Octavo.    475  pages.    Extra  Cloth.    Bevelled  Boards.    Price,  $1.50,  net. 

Op^HIS  work  is  based  upon  an  enormous  experience  not  only  as 
-*■        a  specialist  in  skin  diseases,  but  as  a  physician  engaged  in 
general  practice.     The  contents  of  the  book  are  therefore 
authentic  and  founded  upon  actual  knowledge  rather  than  theory. 

There  may  be  good  health  without  good  looks,  but  seldom  good 
looks  without  good  health.  This  treatise  tells  you  how  these  two 
highly  desirable  conditions  may  be  co-existent.  There  is  a  place  in 
every  family  library  for  a  book  of  this  kind. 

SYNOPSIS    OF    CONTENTS: 

I.  The  Skin  and  Complexion. 

II.  The  Appendages  of  the  Skin. 

III.  The  Usefulness  of  the  Skin  and  of  the  Hair. 

IV.  The  Complexion. 

V.  The  Elements  of  Beauty  and  Grace. 

VI.  World  Influence  of  Woman's  Charms, 

VII.  Expression,  Sexual  Attraction,  Wedlock. 

VIII.  How  to  Cultivate  and  Preserve  a  Good  Complexion. 

IX.  The  Bath. 

X.  Digestion  and  Indigestion. 

XI.  Education  of  the  Body. 

XII.  Cultivation  of  the  Mind. 

XIII.  Clothing  and  Dress. 

XIV.  The  Influence  of  Climate  Upon  Health. 

XV.  Ventilation. 

XVI.  Disfigurement  from  Disease,  w'lih.  Some  Treatment  of  it. 

XVII.  Eruptive  Fevers. 

XVIII.  The  Hair,  its  Fashions  and  its  Diseases. 

XIX.  The  Nails  and  Their  Diseases. 

XX.  Cosmetic  Preparations.     Index. 


Othtr  Publications   of  F.  A.   Davis  Company,  Phlladtlphta 


Confessions  of  a  Neurasthenic 

BY 

WILLIAM  TAYLOR  MARRS,  M.D. 

Eight  Illustrations.    116  pages.    Bound  in  Handsome  Cloth.    Price,  $1.00. 

CONFESSIONS  OF  A  NEURASTHENIC  is  designed  to  show 
the  mental  absurdities  of  that  extremely  cautious  and  anxious 
individual  who  wishes  under  any  and  all  circumstances  to  take 
extraordinary  good  care  of  himself. 

The  hero  of  this  sketch  has  always  found  real,  continuous  effort 
too  severe  a  tax  upon  his  health.  Therefore,  he  shifts  from  one 
occupation  to  another.  His  various  adventures  in  search  of  a  calling 
at  once  congenial  and  devoid  of  mental  and  physical  strain  are  not 
only  very  amusing  to  read,  but  point  a  most  useful  moral. 


The  Practical  Care  of  the  Baby 
And  Young  Child 

BY 

THERON  WENDELL  KILMER,  M.D. 

Lecturer  on  Pediatrics  in  New  York  Polyclinic  Medical  School  and  Hospital; 

Attending  Pediatrist,  St.  Bartholomew's  Clinic;  Consulting  Pediatrist, 

Home  of  St.  Giles,  Garden  City,  New  York,  etc. 

With  68  Illustrations.     Second  Revised  Edition.     158  pages. 
12mo.    Cloth,  $1.00,  net. 

THE  remarkable  reduction  in  the  death  rate  among  infants  in 
New  York  City  is  the  answer  to  what  physicians  there  have 
been  doing  in  recent  years.  They  have  given  extraordinary 
attention  to  the  care  of  children.  Dr.  Theron  W.  Kilmer  has  been 
closely  identified  in  this  good'  work  and  in  compiling  his  book  for 
the  public,  he  was  guided  not  only  by  an  extensive  personal  experi- 
ence, but  by  a  thorough  knowledge  of  what  numerous  other  special- 
ists in  the  Care  of  the  Infant  and  Young  Child  have  been  doing. 

Kilmer's  "Care  of  the  Baby"  is  a  thoroughly  safe  counsellor  in 
the  family,  the  clear  text  and  numerous  fine  illustrations  fulfilling 
every  requirement    ' 


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